Finding Calm Waters
by iwrite4fun
Summary: Sam thinks her life is a mess-and it is. Starting in Threads and runs with the show through the end of Season 8. Turns AU after the end of Season 8, many events of Season 9 occur with a twist or two to keep thing interesting!. Sam/Jack COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter was convinced that her personal life was to forever remain a mess. Her father was lying in a hospital bed in the SGC just two weeks before her wedding day, and he was dying. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time.

Just a few hours before, Pete had shown her a house, a wonderful, beautiful house-that Sam hated with every fiber of her being. And for a short time, everything had made sense. Pete wasn't the man she thought she loved, Jack O'Neill was. Sam had to admit that her father had been right in his unspoken dislike of the cop, no matter how much it had irked her at the time.

After that revelation, Sam had gone to Jack's house, intent on talking with him-finally saying what she had avoided for so long-only to find CIA agent Kerry Johnson there, in his backyard. Her whole world collapsed and Sam once again felt lost.

A phone call from the base telling her that her father had collapsed was all Sam needed to top off what she considered to be one of the top five worst days of her life.

Right now, all she wanted to do was have someone hold her and tell her that everything would be okay. Her father was her first bet, Daniel was the back-up, but neither of them was available. Even Teal'c was gone. So instead, she sat alone in the observation room, watching as her father spent what little time he had left saying good-bye to some of the Tok'ra.

For the first time that day, something went right though. While neither of her first 'someones' were available, her third and favorite, despite being her least likely, and often emotionally unavailable, option decided to walk through the door.

"You OK?" Jack O'Neill asked as he plopped down in the seat next to her, choosing to ignore the Colonel's red, puffy eyes.

"Actually, I'm fine. Good, even, strange as that sounds. I thought I lost him four years ago. Since then, we've been closer than we ever were in my whole life. In a way, Selmak gave me the father I never thought I'd know," Sam claimed.

"C'mere," Jack insisted as he wrapped his arm around Sam.

With Jack's arm wrapped around her, Sam let every fear and worry she had fade from her mind for the first time that day, and just enjoyed the comfort he was providing her. 'Jack O'Neill gives the best hugs,' Sam admitted to herself, 'And his half-hugs are almost as good as the full ones'.

For the first time all day, Sam found a sense of peace in the hurricane that was her life. "Thank you sir," she said.

"For what?" Jack whispered.

"For being here for me," Sam offered.

"Always," Jack promised.

The peace Sam felt didn't last long though, as she was force to leave the comfort of Jack's arm and say her last good-bye to her father.

For the next three days, Sam was caught in a torrential downpour, literally and figuratively. General O'Neill had called Mark not long after Jacob had collapsed and put him and the rest of the Carter on the first military flight to Colorado Springs with the hope that he would make it in time to see Jacob. They didn't. Instead, Sam met them at the airfield with the news of Jacob's passing.

Rather than being the comforting brother Sam desperately need, Mark had struck out in anger. Sam knew most of his ranting was only because Jacob's death had caused him to open the floodgates once again to the pain and anger that their father had caused over the years. Being told 'classified' only worked so many times before a person wanted something more. And Mark Carter wanted something more than 'classified' to explain his father's death.

Two days later, things between Sam and Mark weren't any better as the retired Major General and unsung galactic hero's ashes were laid to rest next to his wife, as the crowd watched from under umbrellas. Mark disliked the military funeral that Jacob had received, but his anger had seemed to find a brief pause when the President of the United States had sent Lt. Colonel Paul Davis and Major General George Hammond with his condolences for their loss.

Sam's brief respite from Mark's anger and the rain was short lived as after the funeral and wake, Sam met Pete outside of the recently purchased house. She sat with him and handed him back her engagement ring, claiming that things between them just weren't meant to be.

In Sam's opinion, Pete had taken things surprisingly well. But she was shocked when she had returned to her house to find an even angrier Mark there waiting for her.

"Why did you break it off with Pete?" he demanded before Sam had even gotten out of her car, coming out in the pouring rain to meet her.

"I'm just not ready," Sam claimed, intentionally vague.

"If this is just because Dad died, Sam, I'm sure that Pete would take you back in a second and forget this ever happened. He's an understanding guy, he'd be willing to wait until you are ready," Mark insisted.

"I don't want to talk about this Mark. It doesn't involve you," Sam said, trying to end the conversation right there and escape out of the rain.

Mark continued to press on though. "When my little sister and one of my best friends are involved, I would say that it involves me."

Sam didn't get the chance to respond to Mark's argument because her cell phone rang. "Carter," she answered.

"Colonel," Walter Harriman said, "General O'Neill asked me to apologize for interrupting your time with your family, but Teal'c is back and he needs your expertise."

"I'll be there in 20," Sam promised, hanging up the phone and getting back into her car. "I have to go," she said ignoring her brother's glare. Sam had never been so glad to have a phone call from the SGC interrupt something until that moment, well except for a couple of days before when it saved her a really embarrassing scene at the General's house.

She managed to be almost dry by the time she reached the mountain. A change of clothes into her BDU's took care of any lingering wetness, but Sam felt drained, like she was swimming upstream, against the raging current. This feeling continued as she set the self destruct and then aborted it after the threat from Anubis seemed to end, for no real reason.

General O'Neill ordered her home to sleep and apologized for pulling her away from her family. Sam didn't say anything, just accepted his dismissal and went home, hoping that the late hour would mean that the rest of the Carter family would be asleep already.

'Must have used up all of my luck avoiding the destruction of the galaxy,' Sam thought when she was the light in her living room was still on.

Mark was sitting in the living room, watching something on TV. He turned off as soon as she entered. Mark followed her to the kitchen where Sam got herself a cup of coffee and sat down at her kitchen table. Mark followed her actions, choosing to sit across from her.

"Have you thought about what I said?" Mark asked, trying once again to force the issue.

"If you mean about me and Pete getting back together, then no, not really. I need to figure some things out right now and I can't do that with Pete breathing down my neck," Sam offered.

"Then why call the wedding off and break up with Pete?" Mark questioned.

"I can't ask him to wait when I don't know what I want or even when I will know," Sam explained.

"Then there's a chance that the two of you could get back together," Mark pressed.

"I guess," Sam relented just wanting this conversation over with. She was tired and had to be back on base for a morning briefing.

"Great!" Mark exclaimed. "I'll tell him to give you a call."

"No Mark, tell him that if I decide I want to pursue things, I'll call him," Sam insisted.

Any sense of calm that may have been in the house, quickly disappeared as Mark slammed his now empty mug of coffee down on the table. "You can't just break things off and then decide on a whim that you want to get back together," Mark yelled and then lowered his voice as he realized that being loud would wake his family. "Pete's a good guy that could have his pick of women. And you could be that lucky woman Sam, but no guy will wait forever. Between your job and taste in men, you'd be lucky to end up with someone like Pete."

Mark's tirade was interrupted at this point by his wife, Karen. "Mark Carter!" she said as she walked into the kitchen, standing at the head of the table. "Leave your sister alone before you wake up the kids."

Mark just stared open mouthed at his wife.

"Go to bed and cool off," she ordered in the 'don't argue with me' tone of voice. "We have to leave early in the morning to go to the airport, in case you've forgotten," she reminded him.

Mark glanced at his sister before leaving the kitchen in a rush.

Karen took Mark's seat, and looked at her sister-in-law. "Mark means well, you know, he just doesn't understand that us women like things a very particular way. If you're not convinced that Pete is the guy for you, then don't marry him Sam. Take the chance to step back and figure out what you want, especially now right after Jacob's death. You were much closer to Jacob than Mark, and I'm betting he left you with some words that are making you think." Seeing Sam's nod of agreement, Karen continued, "Get that boss of yours to give you a few days off and do something so that you can clear your head, you need it."

"I do," Sam admitted and stood up from the table. She went to the sink and washed out her mug along with Mark's and put them in the dishwasher.

Karen didn't move, instead remaining seated at the table.

Sam turned around and looked at Karen's face which showed that she was in deep thought. "Was there something else Karen?" Sam asked.

"Not really," Karen replied, smiling slightly at her sister-in-law, "I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. I know Mark hasn't made this," she said sweeping her arms around as she spoke, "Easy on you."

Sam shrugged her shoulders, "You get used to it after a while."

"Still, you shouldn't have to go through this alone," Karen insisted.

"I'm not," Sam replied, almost on a reflex. Seeing Karen's disbelieving look, she continued, "Trust me, my friends are like my family. While they might seem to be 'missing' right now, the second you guys are out the door, they'll be here."

Karen nodded accepting this explanation and picked up a framed picture from a shelf. "Is this them?" she asked, handing the picture to Sam.

Sam took one glance at the picture and began pointing out the people, "That's Daniel, Janet, Cassie, Murray, and General O'Neill," she explained.

"Oh," Karen said, "I don't remember seeing any of them except the General at the funeral."

"They weren't there," Sam said, "Murray was out of the country visiting some old friends when Dad died, and there wasn't any way to reach him. Daniel is…pretty much in the same situation. Cassie is Janet's daughter and is away at college. She didn't want to come and we really didn't think she needed to be here."

"What about Janet?"

"Um…she died, about a year ago."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," Karen insisted.

"You just doing what Mark isn't," Sam explained.

"Probably," Karen claimed, "But if you ever need to talk, just let me know, okay? I'm a phone call away."

"Okay," Sam relented as she gave Karen a hug. The two of them went their separate ways, both in need of a good night's sleep.

The next morning it was still raining outside. Neither sibling had cooled off from their argument, but they were able to be civil to each other as Sam delivered her family to Peterson. Good-byes were said and hugs were exchanged as Sam rushed to the mountain for her briefing with the General, Bra'tac, and Teal'c. Sam was relieved when Daniel made an appearance, naked, in the General's office. She wasn't sure that she could handle loosing someone else so close to her so soon. She was barely able to contain her desire to hug him until they were all alone, and even then it was difficult to pull away.

That evening, she wasn't surprised when the three men showed up on her doorstep with pizza and a movie.

"Colonel Carter," Teal'c began, "I have failed you as a friend. I was not here to stand by your side when you needed me most, and I hope that you can forgive me."

"Me too Sam," Daniel added quickly.

"There's nothing to forgive guys," Sam was quick to claim, too quickly. "There wasn't anything that you could have done if you were."

"You guys are my family," Daniel insisted, "And family should be there when they need each other."

"Indeed."

This is the point when General O'Neill jumped in. "Guys, we may not have been there when it happened, but the rest of her family was. We can be here now, if you'll let us Carter."

"Thanks guys," was all Sam could say as she became teary eyed. Daniel was quick to pull Sam into a much needed hug, quickly followed by Teal'c, and even Jack as they shared one big group hug.

The next morning, Sam noticed that the rain had stopped for the first time in days and the sun was shining. Sam's mood seemed to reflect this as she smiled her first real smile in days for no real reason. The guards at the security checkpoints seemed relieved to see their favorite female and most likely only, Colonel smiling again.

Within the next week, death hit the members of the SG-1 family again as Daniel received a phone call offering the news of Catherine Langford's death. Thankfully, Daniel seemed to be accepting of the news more so than Sam had been of her own father's death.

It was right after Catherine died while Daniel was preparing to speak at her funeral that General O'Neill insisted that they were all taking a vacation to go fishing. To Sam, it seemed almost to be an order, but she consented, knowing that she needed to get away and that there would be no better way than a vacation with her closest friends.

The best part came the day before Daniel was going to leave when a box arrived from Egypt, containing a ZPM and a video tape. Sam had to hide her giggle at the video tape version of Jack O'Neill telling everyone that "there's no fish in my pond."

Despite her own enthusiasm and general desire to play with her new toy, General O'Neill had snatched it away and sent her packing. Sam had been grateful for it even if she had protested because she got a chance to relax before she met up with the General for their early morning drive.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

There was a knock on her door 10 minutes before General O'Neill was supposed to be there the following morning.

But Sam had expected it. Jack O'Neill was nothing more than an impatient 5 year old in an adult's body. And his patience ran thin when it came to going on missions, receiving explanations from her or Daniel, and sitting through mission briefings. Fishing and Minnesota caused him to be twice as impatient.

So when Sam opened the door, she fully expected to see Jack O'Neill there, but not Pete Shanahan.

"Sam," Pete greeted her. "I just wanted to return this stuff," he said handing her a set of keys to her house and a box, which she guessed contained some of her stuff.

"Oh. Um thanks," Sam said. "Give me a minute and I'll go grab your stuff," Sam offered as she went to grab a similarly sized box with the few things that Pete had managed to leave at her place.

She returned to the door to find that the General had joined Pete on the porch. "Sir," Sam greeted him. "Give me a couple of minutes and I'll be ready to go."

"Sure Carter," Jack replied. "Is the cooler in the garage?"

"Yes sir, it should be unlocked."

Jack O'Neill nodded his good-bye to Pete and disappeared from view.

"This is your stuff," Sam said, handing Pete his box that she had packed a week ago.

"Going somewhere?" Pete asked.

"Fishing with the General, Teal'c, and Daniel," Sam answered as she picked up her suitcase and followed Pete out the door, locking the door behind her.

"I talked to Mark," Pete blurted out as the walked down the sidewalk. "If you change you're mind, I'm just a phone call away."

"Thank you," Sam said as she placed a kiss on his cheek.

Pete gave Sam once last glance before getting into his car and driving away. Sam sighed in relief as she picked up her suitcase and joined the General in his truck.

"You ready?" Jack asked as he looked at his long time 2IC.

"Ready."

Jack started the truck and began the long drive. It didn't take long for Sam to fall asleep, lulled into dream land by the steady hum of the engine and the soft music coming from the radio.

----

They were sitting outside of a McDonald's when Sam was gently awoken by Jack.

"Sam," a voice kept calling, "Sam."

"Five more minutes," she begged, refusing to open her eyes.

"Nope Carter, time for you to get up," Jack said, smiling at her childlike plea.

At the word 'Carter', Sam's eyes had shot open, taking in her surroundings as she launched into an apology, "Sorry sir I-"

Only to be cut off by Jack how waved a finger at her. "For cryin' out loud, we're on vacation Carter. I have a first name, its Jack, can you call me Jack please?" he requested of her.

"I'm afraid I can't do that sir, unless…" Sam said with the hint of a smile on her face.

"Unless what?"

"Unless you quit calling me Carter. After all I have a first name too," Sam retorted, a huge smile filing her face.

"Okay Sa-man-tha," Jack drew out her name.

"Fine Jon-a-than," Sam retorted.

Jack raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, I'll try to call you Sam, you'll try to call me Jack deal?"

"Deal," Sam said, holding out her hand to shake on it with Jack. "But you have to understand it's going to be hard for me to break an eight year habit."

"We'll both have to work on it," Jack affirmed, "Let's eat."

----

Normally, Sam would have objected to not being able to do some of the driving but considering the fact she slept most of the trip, it was probably a good thing that Jack hated to let anyone else drive his truck. It was a 16 hour drive to Jack's cabin, and Sam figured that she slept at least 13 hours of the trip, something that she apologized to Jack for.

"Don't worry about it," he insisted as they unloaded his truck, "You needed to sleep and I like driving. It gives me the chance to just sit back and think."

"Think?" Sam questioned jokingly.

"Hey! Even I need to figure things out sometimes," Jack insisted.

"I understand why you drove now. It took you 16 hours to do your thinking. If we had flown it would have been a much shorter trip, you never would have had enough time to 'figure things out'," Sam retorted, heading into the cabin.

Sam was through the door before Jack rushed in after her, his arms full of groceries. "You know, if I was your CO I would put you on report for that comment," he said seriously.

Sam turned around to look him, concern evident on her face.

"But I'm not your CO right now, so I guess I'll have to use alternative forms of punishment, starting with an 0700 hours wake up call for fishing," Jack claimed with a glint in his eye.

Sam just giggled and threw a package of napkins at him.

Jack grabbed them with one hand and put them on the counter. "You know that just lengthens your punishment right?"

Sam just giggled a "Yes," before continuing putting away the groceries, working side-by-side with Jack.

Sam hadn't felt this at home in a long time, even in her own house, let alone in someone else's house, especially Jack O'Neill's house.

After the groceries were put away, Sam allowed Jack to direct her to one of the spare rooms and leave her alone to get ready for bed, but not before reminding her that her presence was expected for fishing the following morning.

Despite Sam's desire to sleep, she couldn't. She tossed and turned for about an hour before getting up and going into the kitchen. She made herself a cup of tea and went out to the deck and sat down on one of the benches.

For a few minutes, she relaxed and just admired the stars. Sam quickly got lost in her thoughts, as the last few conversations that she had with her father played in her head. She was so caught up in trying to find the meaning behind her father's words, that she didn't hear Jack approach behind her until he dropped a blanket around her shoulders.

"You okay," Jack asked quietly as he sat down next to her.

"I will be," Sam said as she slid over so that she could lean against Jack. "Things have been really busy the past few weeks with Daniel dying again and defeating the Replicators and the Goa'uld. I just haven't had time to sit back and catch my breath."

"It's a lot to wrap your head around, isn't it," Jack admitted as he wrapped his arm around Sam.

Sam just nodded her head as her hand snuck up and entwined itself with his.

After a while, Jack could feel himself beginning to fall asleep. "Come on Sam, let's get you to bed," Jack directed as he pushed the two of them onto their feet.

Hand in hand, Sam and Jack walked into the cabin and down the hallway until they reached the door to Jack's room. Jack went to let go of Sam's hand, but Sam wouldn't let go. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Jack in a hug, burying her fact in his chest. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Always," Jack promised once more as he held her close until Sam let go. Sam could feel Jack's eyes on her until she softly shut the door to her own room. This time, she didn't have a problem falling asleep, content with the knowledge that she was safe and would one day be happy, even if she didn't quite know how or what that really meant yet.

----

Despite the fact that it had been at least 0300 when Sam and Jack had finally went to bed, Jack bounded into her room and woke her up not long after 0700 the following morning.

"Sir," Sam pleaded, clutching the covers around her as she opened her eyes, "I'm on vacation, why can't I sleep in?"

Jack smirked as he pulled the covers off of Sam, "All I'm asking for is one morning of fishing. Come with me today, and if by some impossible chance, you don't like fishing, I promise to listen to your science lectures for an entire week?"

"You'll listen for a week?" Sam asked, needing confirmation.

"I'll try," Jack promised, now making use of his puppy dog expression.

"Okay," Sam relented, "Give me five to get changed," she requested.

Her decision to learn to fish was enough for Jack, and he quickly skipped out of the room, as much as an Air Force General skips that is. Sam changed clothes and grabbed a coat as she went out on the deck.

When they had arrived the previous evening, it had already been dark, so Sam was now seeing the scenery for the first time, and it was breath taking to say the least.

Walking slowly, so she could take in the scenery, Sam approached the dock where Jack was already waiting for her. Two chairs, two poles, and most importantly two mugs of coffee. Careful of the fishing poles, Sam dropped into the empty chair and took the offered cup of coffee.

"Thanks," she said as she took a large gulp of the hot liquid.

The morning was spent mostly in silence, until Sam said, "Thank you for bringing me up here."

Jack glanced at Sam before returning his gaze to the water. "We all needed it," he claimed. "With Daniel disappearing, coming back, Dad dying, destroying the Replicators, and beating the Goa'uld we all needed a vacation. None of us have really had one in a long time. I probably needed this vacation more than you guys, and if I could drag my three best friends with me, it just makes it a little bit better."

"Even if we don't catch any fish?" Sam asked.

"It's not just about the fishing Sam, it's about spending time with my family," Jack said.

If Sam hadn't already set her coffee cup down, she would have dropped it on the ground. "Family?" She questioned.

"You guys and Cassie are pretty much the only family I have. My parents passed away long ago and I'm an only child," Jack admitted.

"Oh," Sam said, digesting that piece of information, given that this was the first time Jack had ever spoken of his personal life other than the little bit she knew about Sara and Charlie.

In the distance, Sam could hear the sound of a car engine, signaling the arrival of Daniel and Teal'c, who had both flown into the airport and rented a car. Daniel was coming from Catherine's funeral while Teal'c had caught a military hop after spending a couple of days helping Bra'tac with the free Jaffa.

Sam suspected that Teal'c's time at the SGC was coming to an end as he had accomplished his original goal of freeing his people. Even Daniel might be leaving as he desperately wanted to go to Atlantis, and this time the General had no reason to stop him.

Even Sam had to admit that she might be requesting a transfer. Several requests for her services had recently come across her desk and she knew that any one of them would be a good career move; she just hadn't made up her mind yet. If she was honest with herself, Sam was waiting to see what her teammates decided, knowing that their decision would have more of an influence on her final choice that her own desires. If they stayed, so would she, if they went, Sam wasn't sure she would be able to remain behind.

Right now, that didn't matter though as she looked out over the still water that was Jack O'Neill's pond and declared, "This is great."

Jack snorted at her amazement, "I told ya!"

"I can't believe that we didn't do it years ago," Sam claimed.

"Yes, well, let's not dwell," he responded.

Jack's comment caused her to giggle as Sam heard Daniel and Teal'c approach, their footsteps giving them away. Movement on the pond stopped her from greeting them though, as a fish jumped. "Didn't that tape say there were no fish in your pond?" Sam questioned, slightly concerned.

Jack looked at her and smiled slightly, shrugging off the difference, "Close enough," he insisted as he cast once again.

Sam nodded and turned her attention to fishing as Daniel came to stand behind the two of them and Teal'c took a seat next to the cooler. For the first time since the hurricane of her father's death, Sam felt like the recovery effort was starting. While she knew it wouldn't be easy, Sam could confidently say that she knew she would be okay, she hadn't been sure before, but now she had no doubt.

----


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

They were eating dinner on their third day at Jack's cabin, now half way through their five day stay when Sam's cell phone rang. Jack had left orders at the SGC that there were only to be contacted in an emergency, meaning that they couldn't dial the gate or the world was about to end, anything else, he had claimed, could wait until they got back.

All of their cell phones, well Jack, Sam, and Daniel's cell phones (since Teal'c didn't have one) had been strategically placed in a basket on the kitchen counter and hadn't been touched other than to check for voicemails the entire time they had been there.

So when Sam's cell rang, Jack grabbed it before Sam could even get to it.

"I thought I told them not to call," Jack grumbled as he went to check the display.

"Sir!" Sam objected, "That's not the SGC-it's Cassie."

"Oh," Jack said as he confirmed this was indeed true and handed the phone over to Sam.

Sam hit a button and walked out onto the deck to talk with Cassie.

"Cassie," Sam greeted the girl, who was like a daughter to her.

"Sam," the girl on the other end of the phone sobbed.

"Hey, calm down Cassie. Whatever is wrong, I'm sure that we can fix it," Sam reassured the younger girl.

"No you can't," the girl continued to sob.

"I know that I can Cassie, but to fix it I need to know what's wrong," Sam pleaded with the girl.

"I miss Mom," the girl blurted out.

Sam didn't really have anything to say to that, so she settled for "Oh honey. We all do."

Sam's years of military training was the only thing that kept her from jumping when she felt Jack's hand on her shoulder. He held out his hand for the phone, which Sam handed to him.

"Cassie," he suggested, "How about I call someone and get you on the next plane to Minnesota?"

Obviously the girl agreed as he said, "Okay, go pack and I'll call you with flight details."

He hung up the phone and handed it back to Sam. Jack then pulled out his own cell phone, most likely to make a call to Walter who would arrange the flight.

Sam just remained seated on the same bench that Jack had found her at last night while Jack carried on a quick conversation with Walter, then waited while the man checked flight status, and finally repeated the flight details out loud looking directly at Sam so that she could 'help' him remember, but by that time she already had Cassie on the phone and Sam just repeated the message to her.

Sam hung up, but only after promising that she would be there to greet the girl when her plane arrived at the base.

Jack settled himself next to Sam, not quite touching her, but close enough that she could lean into him if she wanted.

Which she was going to do, until Daniel stuck his head out the back door, and asked, "Is everything okay?"

Sam looked at Jack and silently asked if he would explain this, and he responded with a nod.

Standing up, Jack wrapped his arm around Sam's shoulder and led her into the house. "Come on Spacemonkey, and we'll tell you and Teal'c all about our extra guest."

And that was how Samantha Carter ended up sitting on a couch, curled up next to Jack O'Neill, explaining that Cassandra Fraiser would soon be joining them.

Daniel's face registered a look of shock as something clicked in his head, "You realize that tomorrow is Janet's birthday, right?"

Sam closed her eyes in that realization as Teal'c spoke, "Indeed."

Sam opened her eyes to look at her friends, "We always did something special for Janet's birthday, just the three of us girls."

"And this is the first time she isn't here to celebrate," Jack finished.

"So what are we going to do?" Daniel asked.

"You aren't going to do anything," Jack declared. "Sam and I are going to go meet Cassie's plane and we'll take our lead from her. It sounds like she needs to sleep and just have the people that care about her the most around."

"Daniel Jackson, should we not prepare sleeping accommodations for Cassandra Fraiser?" Teal'c asked, drawing the attention away from Daniel's desire to go with Sam and Jack.

"I guess," Daniel relented, standing up to follow Teal'c to the linen closet.

----

Jack and Sam had to flash their military ID in order to get on the base. Given the late hour, the guards were even more suspicious of an unknown vehicle with two unknown Air Force personnel, but someone had called ahead and forewarned the base CO of their arrival, with orders not to bother whoever came with them.

The two officers stood side-by-side as they had for years when faced with a challenge, and watched as Cassie's plane touched down. They watched Air Force officers in dress blues leave first before the last occupant of the plane, a girl with long blonde hair, walked down the stairs. The whole way down she looked around the badly lit area for Sam and Jack. When she reached the bottom, she dropped her bag and ran towards the two people that were there to greet her.

Jack and Sam sandwiched her in a hug, concentrating solely on the girl between them, who had once again started crying. Sam held Cassie tight against her and Jack's arms had someone worked their way around so that he was not only holding Cassie, but Sam too.

Sam felt Jack's arms disappear and she looked up to see a young man, in his mid to late 20's, dressed in Air Force blues.

"Colonel O'Neill?" The man asked as he stood at attention, despite holding a bag in each hand.

"Actually it's General now," Jack corrected lightly for what must have been the hundredth time by Sam's count.

"Congratulation sir, you earned it. Umm…I doubt you remember me General but I served at um, NORAD for a short time under General Hammond and then Dr. Weir. Last I heard you were…gone," the young man said as he carefully chose his words. "I just wanted to say that I'm glad that you're okay sir, and that I appreciate the sacrifice that you and the others there have made over the years. If memory serves me right, this is Doctor Fraiser's daughter?"

Jack and Sam both nodded as Cassie pulled out of Sam's arms to turn around and look at the man for the first time.

The man looked at Cassie's tear streaked face, and set down both of the bags he was carrying. "Your mother was a great doctor and an amazing person. A lot of people are alive today because she was there for them. My mom's favorite saying was 'Life's not fair', and I would say that life has been most unfair to you ma'am, but for that comes my mom's other favorite saying, 'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade'. You have a very bright future young lady. One that I am sure will do your mother proud."

Those words made Sam's heart break as she watched Cassie hug the Air Force Captain just like she had Jack and Sam moments earlier. The Captain was at a loss as to what he was supposed to do, but he just wrapped his arms around the girl and looked at the two superior officers in front of him with a look that said 'What am I supposed to do?'

Jack shrugged his shoulders as he reached over to place an arm around Sam, uncaring about what the Captain might think.

Sam stiffened slightly before wrapping her own arm around Jack's waist and mouthing a 'Thank you' to the Captain, to which he nodded his acceptance of her gratitude.

Without a word, Cassie let go of the man and turned again to Sam, who removed herself from Jack so that she could once again hug the younger girl. Sam watched as the Captain picked up one back, only to have to switch hands so that he could shake Jack's hand. Jack then accepted the bag which Sam presumed belonged to Cassie and nodded her own thanks to the man who turned and walked away. Sam watched him until the darkness swallowed him up, grateful for the man's words.

Jack placed a hand on Cassie's shoulder, which caused Cassie to pull away from Sam. "Let's go," he said softly, "Daniel and Teal'c are waiting on us.

Jack threw one arm around Cassie's shoulder as his other hand carried her suitcase. Sam tossed her own arm around the girl's shoulder and the three of them walked silently towards Jack's truck.

The ride back to the cabin was done mostly in silence, and was slightly uncomfortable as Cassie had slid in between Jack and Sam in the front of the pick-up truck.

Jack pulled into the driveway and turned off the truck's engine, catching a glimpse of Teal'c and Daniel waiting for them on the front porch.

Jack turned to look at the two women sitting next to him, only to realize that Cassie had fallen asleep sometime during the drive. She had carefully situated herself so that her head was on Sam's shoulder, though it was at a slightly awkward angle.

Sam watched as Daniel rushed to greet them, while Teal'c followed at a more sedate pace.

"Teal'c," Jack requested as he slid out of the driver's seat, "Can you carry Cassie in?"

Teal'c nodded and reached in to carefully scoot Cassie out of her spot in the truck. Once he was done, Sam got out and followed the rest of her 'family' into the cabin. Cassie didn't wake up as Teal'c placed her on the sofa bed in the living room, or while Sam took off her shoes, nor when Jack carefully tucked the covers in around the sleeping girl.

The group quietly adjourned to the room that Daniel and Teal'c were sharing.

"Will she be okay?" Daniel asked, breaking the silence.

"Cassandra Fraiser is a strong young woman," Teal'c stated, "I have no doubt that she will become an improved version of her previous self."

Jack looked confused for a few seconds before chuckling, "That's better than she was before Teal'c."

Before anyone else could say anything, Sam jumped in. "She needs us right now," Sam insisted, "And if we are there for her, Cassie will be all right. I just wish I had realized she wasn't okay before-"

Daniel interrupted, "We are all responsible Sam, not just you."

Sam nodded willing to accept his opinion, for now.

"Let's get some sleep," Jack suggested, "And we'll figure it out tomorrow."

The friends said their good nights, while Sam and Jack left the room for their own.

----

The only reason Sam heard anything, was because her room was right next to Jack's. But it wasn't movement that woke her, but the quiet sound of a crying, no sobbing girl was what caused Sam to creep out of her own room and towards Jack's.

She peered through the open door, the moonlight allowing her to see Cassie was wrapped in a Jack O'Neill hug as she sat on his bed.

Jack's eyes met Sam's and silently requested her assistance in dealing with the young woman.

Cassie was slightly startled when she felt a second set of hands on her back, but relaxed instantly when Sam's voice whispered in ear, "It's okay Cassie, you're here with us now, nothing is going to happen to you."

Once her crying had ended, Cassie looked at Jack and asked, "Can I stay with you tonight?"

"Of course," he replied, hugging the girl.

Sam moved to leave the two alone, only to have Cassie plead and latch on to her, "Don't leave me Sam."

Sam locked gazed with Jack, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod, indicating that she should stay, lifting the covers so that both of the women could slide into bed. With Cassie in the middle, Jack reached out and wrapped the two most important women in his life up in his arms.

It didn't take long for the three of them to drift off to sleep.

----

Daniel peered into Sam's room the next morning to see the bed was unmade, but no Sam. Already knowing that Cassie was not in her bed, Daniel continued down the hallway to Jack's room, only to stop at the sight that greeted him.

The only thing visible in the pile of bodies was the unmistakable hair of Jack O'Neill, which was going in every which direction and two more piles of hair, one which was Sam's blonde and another that belonged to Cassie. Both women had somehow managed to twist around and now lay diagonal across the bed, resting their heads on Jack's chest. It was the fact that Jack's arm was slung so possessively across Sam though that surprised Daniel.

Daniel turned around only to see Teal'c waiting patiently for him at the end of the hallway.

"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said quietly, yet in a stern tone, "I suggest that you do not disturb O'Neill, Colonel Carter, nor Cassandra Fraiser. They are all in need of their rest."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Daniel confirmed, already dreaming up ways he could embarrass Jack with the scene he had just encountered.

----

It's Cassie who emerged first from Jack's bedroom. First she went to the bathroom and changed clothes. Then, she went out to the back porch where Daniel and Teal'c were sitting.

"There's coffee if you want it," Daniel said by way of greeting, his nose buried in a rather thick book.

"Don't want any," Cassie insisted.

"Would you care for some nourishment?" Teal'c asked.

"Not right now Teal'c," Cassie answered.

"What do you want Cassie?" Daniel asked, turning his full attention to the girl as he shut the book.

In typical teenage fashion, Cassie shrugged her shoulders.

Daniel took that to mean that she didn't want to talk, so he once again opened his book and returned to reading it.

----


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When Sam wasn't off world, she liked to slowly wake-up, so when she began emerging from the depths of sleep, she noticed several things.

First, she wasn't in her house or in her own bed. The ceiling was made of wood, so she wasn't at the SGC either.

Second, she was most definitely not alone. She was warm-and she never woke up warm unless she was sleeping with someone.

Third, there was a guy in bed with her, and it wasn't Pete. Pete would never snuggle with her like this guy was doing, and he was too short to have his legs tangled up with her legs.

After Sam realized these three things, she shot off the bed and to a standing position, only to have Jack react in exactly the same way.

"Jeeze Carter, for a second there I thought we were under attack or something," Jack said as he ran a hand through his hair, and over his face.

"Sorry sir, I just forgot where I was and it surprised me," Sam offered as an explanation while she blushed.

"Yeah, well, I guess that makes sense," Jack acquiesced.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room.

"So…," Sam said attempting to get rid of the silence.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Cassie here last night, in bed with us?" Jack asked and then opened his mouth to correct his words, only to have Sam cut him off.

"I'm sure that she's fine. Daniel and Teal'c wouldn't let anything happen to her," Sam reassured.

"So, breakfast?" Jack suggested.

"Breakfast sounds good," Sam replied, following Jack out of the room, and hopefully leaving any awkwardness behind.

----

They made pancakes for breakfast, which was actually more of a lunch by that point and sat down to eat together, all five of them, around a large kitchen table.

Daniel purposely waited until both Sam and Jack had their mouths full of pancakes and orange juice, respectively before asking, "So, Sam and Jack were you both warm enough last night?"

The last few remaining pancakes became untouchable as they were splattered with orange juice from Jack's mouth and a partially chewed pancake from Sam's. Daniel even noticed that something like milk squirted out of Cassie's nose as she attempted not to laugh.

"What I meant guys, was that Teal'c and I both thought it was a little cold out last night, didn't we Teal'c," Daniel stated.

"Indeed I did Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said, the corners of his mouth turning up in a small, almost invisible smile.

"Me too guys," Cassie added, a grin evident on her face.

The mixed looks of horror and embarrassment on Sam and Jack's faces became too much and the three friends dissolved into laughter, even Teal'c, which caused everyone to stop and stare at the large Jaffa who rarely laughed.

And start laughing right along with their Jaffa friend.

By the time they were done, everyone, sans Jack and Sam, seemed to have forgotten why they were laughing and just started cleaning up the breakfast dishes.

Once they were done, Sam looked at Cassie and suggested, "Let's get dressed and go for a walk, just the two of us."

Jack caught Sam's eye and nodded, understanding that this was going to be one of those 'girl talks' that he wouldn't understand, and one that Cassie desperately needed.

A short while later, Sam and Cassie began a slow circuit of Jack O'Neill's pond.

"It's never easy to lose a parent, you know," Sam began. "There are still days where I want nothing more than to have my mom here with me, and now you've lost two mothers Cassie."

"I thought the pain would go away," Cassie said amid the tears.

"Oh Cassie," Sam said, pulling the girl into a hug and soon her own tears joined those of Cassie.

When both sets of tears had subsided, Sam grabbed Cassie's hand and they continued walking. "The only thing I can suggest Cassie is to remember the good stuff. Think about all those girls' days that we had where the three of us had so much fun going shopping and eating out."

"And those nights where we stayed up late talking and watching movies," Cassie added, a smile starting to form on her face.

"And prom night."

"My first school dance."

The two women giggled at that memory, how Cassie had called and insisted that Janet leave her own girls' night out and come get her because she wasn't having any fun. Sam, Janet, and Cassie had ended up having a sleepover in Janet's living room with several cartons of ice cream. At two in the morning a pillow fight had evolved from someone throwing a napkin, neither could remember who, and had continued until everyone had collapsed from exhaustion.

"There's a lot of good things you can remember about your mom Cassie, both of your mothers," Sam softly reminded her.

"It's not that Sam," Cassie stated, "I miss her when I need her the most. Someone to call home to when my roommate and I fight, a person to complain to about how horrible all my professors are, and someone to brag to when I make the Dean's List. That's what I want and miss the most right now."

"I went through the same thing when I went to the Academy," Sam confided.

"You did?"

"Yeah even though Dad was alive, it wasn't like I could call home and tell him that I hated my roommate, that my classes stunk, or brag about being top of my class. He was a guy and they just don't get those things," Sam explained.

Cassie smiled, nodding her head in agreement.

"What are you doing this summer?" Sam asked, the beginning of a plan forming in her mind.

"I'm not sure," Cassie claimed, "We're mid-Spring quarter, so I've got some time to figure it out. I guess you could say I'm keeping my options open."

"Are you thinking about coming back to Colorado Springs?" Sam questioned.

Cassie's eyes got slightly darker. "I don't think I can do that Sam. Someday, I'd like to work at the SGC, be a doctor like mom, but I think I'd worry too much about you guys being gone. Wondering if you were okay or not, you know?"

"I know exactly how you feel," a voice said from in front of them. Jack O'Neill stood there, casually leaning against a tree, his face serious, as he entered into the conversation. "I worry about them too, Cassie, especially now that I don't go with them."

Jack squeezed his way in between the two women, throwing an arm over each of their shoulders, and the threesome continued walking, now about three-fourths of the way around the pond.

"You know, we can take care of our selves," Sam reminded him, "You taught us well."

"I know," Jack said simply, "But this isn't about me or you, this is about Cassie. Anything I can do to help you out Cass?"

The girl was quiet for a long time as she thought about what she was going to ask for. They didn't have to tell her, but she was hoping that they would. "Can you tell me what's going on out there right now? Maybe put my mind at ease so I don't have to worry about Uncle Jack showing up on my doorstep telling me one of you guys are…dead or missing."

Sam looked at Jack who was looking at Cassie to see just what they were going to do about her request. Technically, they probably shouldn't tell her anything. But Cassie already knew the big picture stuff. If filling in a few details would make her sleep easier at night, Sam was all for it. But the decision really fell to Jack.

"How about we get Daniel and Teal'c together, and we'll tell you a little bit about what's going on out there in the universe?" Jack suggested, which made Cassie relax a little bit, but not a whole lot as he had don't anything to reassure her that traveling through the Stargate was in any way safer than it had been a year ago when her mom had died.

A short while later they all gathered in Jack's living room. Cassie was sitting on the couch between Daniel and Sam, while Jack sat in the recliner facing them, and Teal'c sat in an antique rocking chair off to the side.

Jack looked sternly at Cassie, "I probably shouldn't tell you any of this, but you deserve to know what's going on out there."

Jack glanced at Sam, giving her permission to begin.

"Things are the safest they've ever been, Cass," Sam began. "Most of the Goa'uld are dead."

"There are still a few out there," Daniel added, "But most of them are keeping a low profile."

"Yet we have succeeded in freeing many of their Jaffa and more join our ranks each day," finished Teal'c.

"So you're telling me I don't need to worry because traveling to other planets has suddenly become safe?" Cassie asked in disbelief.

"I don't think that it will ever be totally safe Cass, but I will say that it is as safe now as it has ever been," Jack proclaimed.

"Does that mean you're going to quit going through the Stargate?" Cassie asked looking at the adults in the room expectedly.

Jack was the first to speak. "I don't do much traveling now that I'm 'The Man', and I expect that will be the status quo for the foreseeable future."

Cassie looked at Sam expectedly, knowing that her answer would dictate, at least partially, what the other two said. "I don't know Cass. I'm needed in several places right now, and have been offered a position at Area 51 again. Not that I'm saying that I'll take it," she reassured, seeing the flash of horror in Jack's eyes at the thought. "Regardless, I'm going to be off world a lot less for at least a short time."

Daniel spoke up at this point, "I'm going to request a transfer to an off world base, the one I was scheduled to go a while back."

"Oh the one where the sexy space pirate took over an entire ship and tried to seduce you into helping her?" Cassie asked innocently.

"How did you know about that?" Daniel demanded.

"I have my sources," the young girl assured him with an amused expression on her face.

Sam was hiding her grin at the girl's humor when Teal'c spoke.

"I regret to inform you Cassandra Fraiser that I will continue my travels and apologize you for any concern this may cause you but I feel my people require my assistance," Teal'c claimed.

"I understand Teal'c," Cassie said, "I'll miss you."

"And I you," the great warrior said bowing his head.

"Hey now! Let's not rush to say our good-byes and farewells to quick here guys," Jack ordered, "We still have a day left, longer if we need it. I know the guy in charge and I think I could convince him to give us an extension if we needed it," Jack claimed, shrugging his shoulders.

Sam smiled and shook her head, only Jack O'Neill would put things that way.

Cassie just shook her head. "I can't stay; I need to get back to school."

That began a suggestion of holidays that she could visit for, which turned into quite a humorous undertaking as the group came up with some very unusual holidays to use.

----

Jack and Sam said their good-byes to Cassie at the cabin because Teal'c and Daniel were the ones taking her to the airport as they had their own flights to catch back to Colorado Springs.

Jack let Sam hug the girl first, knowing that he could deal her cutting into his time, but she wouldn't appreciate having her time cut short.

Cassie was squeezing Sam so tight that Sam was surprised that she could actually breathe, but she didn't complain. Instead, she just held the girl a little bit tighter, not wanting to let go of her.

Eventually Daniel cleared his throat. "Sam," he said, "You need to let her go so she can give Jack a hug and we can go."

"Okay," Sam said, still not letting go of the girl.

"Sam," Daniel said again just as Sam finally let the girl go.

Of course Cassie was only free for a few seconds before Jack pulled her into his arms for a much shorter hug, choosing instead to let her go but keep her at arm's length. "If you need anything," Jack said for seemed like the tenth time, "You call me or Carter, any time, day or night. If you can't get me at home, call me at the base. Walter knows to put you through to me and to interrupt whatever I'm doing-unless I'm talking to the President. Okay?"

"I will," Cassie promised and Jack pulled her into a hug once more, this time holding her just as tight as Sam had while dropping a kiss into her hair.

When Jack relinquished his hold on Cassie again, she quickly moved into Sam's arms once more.

"Your mom would be so proud of you Cassie," Sam whispered into the girl's ear so that no one else could hear.

Sam and Cassie's time came to end as Jack laid a hand on Sam's shoulder, telling her that she needed to let Cassie go. Sam tucked herself into Jack's side as they watched Cassie load up with Daniel and Teal'c and disappear from view.

Without much being said, they cleaned up around the cabin and loaded up Jack's truck. Sam took one last look before getting into the truck, taking in each detail and burning it into her memory just in case she never made this trip again.

"Ready?" she asked as Jack climbed in.

"I was born ready," Jack assured her, resulting in a giggle, which Sam suspected was exactly what he was aiming for.

And with that comment, the two began a playful banter which lasted the whole way to the hotel where they spent the evening and even into the final leg of their journey to Sam's house the following evening.

Jack, ever the gentleman, refused to let Sam carry her own bag and walked her to the door of her house. Sam unlocked the door and pushed it open allowing Jack to follow her inside where he set her suitcase down.

"Thank you for inviting me," Sam said, which resulted in a raised eyebrow in a Teal'c-like fashion from Jack. "Okay ordering me to go. As much as I hate to admit it, I had a good time."

Jack smirked. He had accomplished something this week. Sam had actually taken some time off and enjoyed herself, at his cabin.

"If you ever want to go again, just let me know," Jack offered with a smile, knowing that Sam would probably never ask to go to his cabin again, "I'd be more than happy to give you the keys and let you have it to yourself."

"It's a good place to go and think, isn't it," Sam admitted.

"It is," Jack assured her, "And what I told Cassie goes for you too. You ever need to talk, you know where to find me, my door is always open. We can always shut it and pretend that we're back at the cabin and there isn't another soul around for fifty miles. Call me any time."

"Thank you."

Jack turned to leave and was standing on the porch when he turned around and looked at Sam one more time, "Just promise me one thing though," he requested, "Don't use the Stargate to call 'just to talk', the paper pushers in Washington get kinda upset at that kind of thing."

Sam just laughed and shut the door in his face, which caused Jack to chuckle, something Sam could hear fading through the door as Jack went back to his truck and drove away, happier than he'd been in a long time.

That night, Sam settled herself into bed, and felt a sense of calm was over her, as though the storm she had been experiencing was finally over.

And for the time being it was.

----


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The next morning, Sam was scared to open the door to her office for fear of what she would find, so she stood there staring at the door, and finally decided that she needed coffee before tackling the paperwork that mostly likely awaited her. She headed to Daniel's office because he had the best coffee and found the rest of SG-1 already gathered there, Jack included.

"Morning Sam," Daniel greeted.

"Good morning Daniel, Teal'c, Sir," Sam greeted in reply.

Teal'c nodded his greeting while Jack added a "Carter" to the mixture of greetings being exchanged.

"So anyone have any last requests before I go do battle with the paperwork on my desk?" Jack asked.

Sam giggled at the thought of Jack doing battle with paperwork, envisioning him with a large pencil for a sword and maybe an eraser for a shield.

Jack shot her a mock glare in response to her giggle, but didn't get the chance to say anything as Teal'c made his request.

"O'Neill you shall find my written request awaiting your attention, as will you Colonel Carter" he stated, looking at Sam as he said the last part. "I wish to take my leave of Stargate Command and assist the free Jaffa in the founding of our new government."

Sam let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding, as everyone looked at her. Realistically, Sam had to approve Teal'c's request before Jack would, but no one could really keep Teal'c here if it wasn't where he wanted to be.

"I'll approve your request Teal'c," Sam promised laying a hand on the warrior's shoulder before rushing out of the room so no one would see the tears she was about to cry.

"I'll be sorry to see you go," Jack said, ignoring Sam's flight from the room, figuring that she needed the time to herself, "But you won't meet any resistance from me. You know there will always be a spot for you at the SGC if you want it right?"

"Indeed."

"I'll miss you Teal'c," Daniel admitted "Especially since I'm requesting to go to Atlantis again."

Jack groaned. "More paperwork," he grumbled.

Daniel smirked, "Well just look on the bright side Jack, you won't be the one to fill out the paperwork every time I go missing."

Jack looked downcast at that idea, "Yeah, well that's what I'm afraid of," he said as he walked out of Daniel's lab.

----

Jack poured himself into his work; much like Sam was doing in her own lab. He approved requisition forms, flipped through various reports, and despite his desire not to, thought about the request for a transfer for both Daniel and Teal'c. He sat there thinking about it until someone knocked on the door, interrupting his musings.

"Enter," he called, and Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter walked into Jack's office, standing at attention.

"You know Carter, I believe I told you that you are always welcome to barge in and interrupt, you don't have to knock," Jack said.

"I know sir," she replied.

"And I also know that I've told you not to do that whole standing at attention thing every time you're in the same room as me too," Jack continued.

"I don't do it every time," Sam insisted before adding a delayed, "sir."

Jack gave her a questioning look but didn't press the issue any farther as he motioned for her to take a seat, which she did. Only then did he notice the files and papers in his hand.

"Did you need something," Jack asked, "Or did you just want to distract me from my work? Not that I'm complaining," he quickly added.

Sam smiled, not her 1000 megawatt smile, but still it was a smile. "Of course you're not sir. Actually, I wanted to thank you for making sure my inbox stayed exceptionally clear this past week."

"Wasn't me," Jack lied.

"Of course it wasn't General, but I'm sure you know who it was and if you would pass along my gratitude, I would appreciate it," Sam claimed.

Jack nodded indicating that he would do as she asked. "Was there something else?" He asked.

"Yeah," Sam claimed as she indicated the two folders in her hand. "I approved Teal'c and Daniel's requests and wanted to hand deliver them to you so they didn't get lost in the shuffle of paperwork." A forced smile showed on her face as she attempted to make a joke for both their benefits.

"I could still loose them in this stack," Jack offered as he indicated the pile of papers and folders sitting on one corner of his desk.

"Thanks for the offer," Sam replied, "But I wouldn't do that to either of them. As much as I hate to see them go, I want them to be happy. This is what they want to do and I'll stand behind them 110."

Jack held out his hand for the folders which Sam handed him, and without comment opened them and signed them. "Walter," he hollered and the Sergeant entered the room.

"Yes General?"

"Make sure that these get processed ASAP," Jack ordered as he handed over the two folders.

"Yes sir," the man said as he left the room.

"Anything else I can do for you Carter, or are you going to leave me to my paperwork?" Jack questioned.

Sam squirmed in the chair under his glance and then spoke. "I'm thinking about taking the position at Area 51," she said before quickly reassuring, "I haven't decided anything yet and haven't told anyone else, but I was wondering what you thought about it."

This was the one thing that Jack O'Neill didn't want to hear. He had just signed the transfer papers for two of his best friends and now his third was thinking about leaving the SGC. Despite all of this, Jack felt very uncomfortable talking about this with Sam.

"Are you sure you want my opinion on this, I mean, I'm not a genius like you and Daniel nor am I as wise as Teal'c," Jack said, trying to get out of saying anything because his heart was screaming 'Don't go!' .

When Sam nodded her head indicating Jack should continue, he did the only thing that he could think of to delay this conversation, "This type of thing calls for cake Carter, or in your case Jell-O. Care to join me?" he requested as he led the way from his office to the mess hall.

Sam rolled her eyes, and dubiously followed the man, knowing perfectly well that he was just using a stalling tactic to avoid the conversation she was trying to have.

His tactic worked perfectly though as they ran into Teal'c and Daniel who were already eating lunch, and Sam's glance told Jack that she didn't want them to know anything until she was ready to tell them. So the four friends enjoyed lunch together. Each of them liked the relaxed exchange that occurred despite the undercurrent of the conversation having a sense of dread and loss for the separation which was to come.

----


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sam was cleaning her house, something that she only did when she was bored out of her mind or if it absolutely needed done. This time it was the latter. But it giver her a chance to prepare herself before going through the boxes of stuff that her father had left behind in the closet in the spare bedroom along with the one that came from his locker on base. Now she just needed to find the will power to open even one of them.

Before she could do that though, there was knock at the door, something which she wasn't expecting.

She opened the door to reveal a very uncomfortable Jack O'Neill standing there, rocking back and forth on his feet.

"Why do you want to go?" he asked, forgoing a greeting of any sort.

The suddenness of the question meant Sam needed to collect her thoughts before answering, but she still didn't have an answer, so she pulled a play out of the Jack O'Neill handbook. "What?" she asked feigning the fact she didn't understand what he had said.

"Can I come in?" Jack asked, rather than repeat the question, feeling that this was something best discussed behind closed doors rather than out on the front porch where everyone could see.

"Sure," Sam answered, opening the door wider so that he could slip past her and into the house.

Once Sam had shut the door she led the way to the living room. "Sorry about the boxes," she said, "But I wasn't expecting company."

"You're not packing are you?" Jack questioned, slightly worried.

Sam smiled and reassured him, "No, not yet if at all. They belonged to Dad."

"Ah."

"I haven't opened them yet," Sam admitted as she sat down in the same chair she had vacated to open the door.

"Why not?"

Sam shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I'm scared about what might be inside. What if there's some deep, dark secret inside that he's been hiding from me forever?"

"Or there might be something in there that reminds you just how much your dad loved you," Jack countered, "He was a good man Carter. I don't think you have anything to worry about."

Sam nodded her head in agreement and then tentatively requested, "Would you help me?"

Jack shock from her request was quickly buried behind his usual impassive face. "On one condition," he offered.

Sam raised an eyebrow in a Teal'c-like fashion, indicating that he should continue.

"You have to let me order a pizza otherwise I'm liable to waste away to nothing while I assist you," he explained, ending the statement with a boyish smirk which only made Sam giggle.

"Only if you'll share," Sam insisted.

"Deal," Jack said and proceeded to pull out his cell phone and place the order for a pizza to be delivered. Sam slid out of her chair and plopped down on the floor in front of the first box while he placed the order. Jack soon joined her, groaning just a little bit as he plopped down next to her.

Sam had one hand on the lid of the box but hadn't moved to open it yet. Jack placed his own hand on an opposite side of the box and together they removed the lid revealing the contents. Three very large binders were inside along with one very large shoe box.

"Photo albums," Sam explained, pulling the first one out of the box and leafing through it.

Jack caught glimpses of a much younger Jacob Carter, and "Hold on, is that Hammond _with hair_?" Jack asked.

Sam laughed, "Yeah, him and Dad go way back. He was practically 'Uncle George' up until mom died and Dad got transferred. I was surprised when I found out he was the new commanding officer at the SGC, I couldn't have been happier. I knew that if anyone was going to let me go through the gate, it would be him."

"I never knew," Jack admitted.

Sam smiled and shook her head as she absently ran her fingers over a Carter family photo. "You don't get to be a Major General without rubbing shoulders with the top brass," Sam claimed, "And our family knew General Hammond's family slightly better than most, but he never treated me different because of it." At this point Sam put the album down and pulled another one out of the box, this one had Sam written across the cover.

"I didn't even know that your dad was in the Air Force, much less knew Hammond until that ceremony in D.C. I'm kinda glad I didn't," Jack admitted as he caught a short glimpse of a very awkward looking 10 year old Samantha Carter with what looked to be a baseball glove before Sam quickly turned the page.

"You think you would have treated me different if you had known I was the daughter of a General?" Sam asked curiously as she flipped the pages quickly, bypassing the section she remembered had a bunch of science fair certificates.

"Probably," Jack confessed. "Too many times I've seen people use connections to get somewhere they didn't deserve and everyone was singing your praises. Offering to arm wrestle me was a gutsy move."

Sam flashed him a quick smile at that comment but didn't get the chance to respond as someone knocked on the door.

"Pizza's here," Jack declared as he pulled himself up off the floor and retrieved it. Sam went to the kitchen and pulled out a couple of plates and a beer for each of them. They sat at the kitchen table and ate in silence.

"It worked though," Sam said in between bites. "The arm wrestling thing," she explained at his confused expression.

"It did," Jack admitted, "You've come a long way from the Captain I first met. I know I never said it, but I hope you know how proud I am of you. You stuck with me for seven years, when you could have had your own team after a few of those. I was selfishly keeping you where I could keep and eye on you."

"And train me," Sam added. "You taught me how to command. Regardless of what you may think, I know most every team leader would have given their right arm to be your 2IC. I learned more from you than from any class or professor I ever had."

Jack looked flabbergasted as her praise, but spoke anyway. "Still, I want you to know how proud I am of you and apologize for being selfish."

"Sir," Sam insisted, "Keeping me on your team doesn't make you selfish, just…smart."

Jack smiled and shook his head. "I wasn't thinking about you being on my team. That time," he quickly added seeing her questioning glance as she ate another slice of pizza. "When we went to D.C. the last time for my promotion ceremony, the President was going to promote you at the same time, but I didn't know that until after I made my case for promoting you. He insisted that I do it back at the SGC. I'm sorry that I robbed you of that experience," he lamented.

"I'm not," Sam replied. "The fact you were the one who did it, meant a lot to me. It told me that you trusted me with SG-1 and thought I was ready."

"There was never any doubt in my mind," Jack reassured and added with a smile, "Even if you are a General's daughter."

Sam smiled and retorted, "You do realize that if you had any children, they'd be General's kids?" After she said that, she wondered if it was the right thing to say, but Jack's smile reassured that she was okay.

"D'oh," he responded which only caused Sam to giggle.

"You done?" she asked, indicating the pizza box which now held only two pieces of pizza.

"Sure," Jack replied getting up to help her clear off the table.

Once they were done, Sam once again led the way to the living room, where she pulled out the third photo album, this once, unlike the other two, had "Mark" written in pretty penmanship across the front. So Sam just set it down next to the other two, and pulled the shoebox out.

She sat down on the couch next to Jack, close but not too close. She pulled the lid off and set it on the coffee table.

"Wow," Jack said looking at the items on the inside of the box. Jack could see quite a few pictures, some of them taken recently, others looked to be slightly older, piled on top of newspaper clippings and pages cut out of magazines and newsletters.

Sam picked up the first picture and handed it to Jack.

Jack instantly recognized as being the one from her last promotion ceremony. Someone had snapped the picture while Sam had stood at attention and Jack had changed the insignia on her uniform.

Sam repeated the process for at least 15 pictures, all of which documented different moments from her time at the SGC, mostly pictures of Sam with her team in her dress blues, taken at different awards ceremonies, before she asked, "Where did he get these?"

Jack cleared his throat. "I'm not sure about the older ones, but the most recent ones," he claimed, going back to the first three pictures, the one from her promotion ceremony, a picture of her with Daniel and Teal'c to document the new SG-1, and finally the one of just her and Jack at the party that had followed the President's latest visit to the base, "Came from me. I'm guessing that the others came from Hammond."

Seeing Sam's questioning glance, Jack explained, "Walter suggested it, and I had him make an extra copy of all of them to give to Jacob. So I figure Hammond did the same thing when he was in charge."

"Huh. Remind me to thank Walter and General Hammond later for their thoughtfulness," Sam said.

"Sure," Jack said and then though about why she said. "Hey! Aren't you forgetting someone?"

"No," she said innocently, a little too innocently for Jack's liking.

"Okay," Jack said, nodding like he wasn't hurt at all by her statement.

"Good," Sam replied, continuing to pull pictures out, with an occasional newspaper clipping thrown in detailing some medal Sam had received. This time, they went through a whole stack, getting to almost the bottom of the stack, dating all the way back to year two of the SGC, before she commented on something she pulled out. "I can't believe he had this," she claimed, pulling an entire magazine that had been folded open to an article off of what was now the top of the pile in the shoebox.

Jack recognized it as an article, obviously written by Sam given her picture was at the top of the article. The article had a really long title with a bunch of big words, of which Jack only recognized one of 'wormhole'. "What's so significant about this?" he asked, curious.

"This is the first article I published after becoming a member of SG-1," she explained.

"I didn't know Dad understood wormhole physics," Jack joked.

"He didn't," Sam corrected him.

"Then," Jack questioned, spotting the mailing address on the magazine, "Why did he have a subscription to 'Astrophysics' Quarterly'?"

Sam grabbed the magazine out of Jack's hand to verify the name on the address label, and was surprised to see that he hadn't been pulling her leg. "Hmm. He must have been on the lookout for anything that told him what I was really doing."

"He never did believe that 'deep space radar telemetry' thing did he?" Jack commented.

"Uh-hu," Sam agreed as she pulled the first picture of her and Jacob out of the shoebox. This one showed the two of them with General Hammond and Jack at the reception for their first 'we saved the world' medal.

The last few pictures that she pulled out of the shoebox were of the actual ceremony which had been performed by General Hammond back at the SGC. These pictures had been carefully shot in order to avoid any classified information in the background.

"I never realized that he had all this stuff," Sam said spreading her arms to indicate the photo albums and the stacks of pictures that now filled the coffee table.

"You sound surprised," Jack commented.

"Shouldn't I be?" Sam questioned.

"Not really. Parents tend to keep this kind of stuff," Jack claimed and after taking a deep breath, quietly added, "I have a box with all of Charlie's stuff in it. Pictures he drew for me, letters, and a few of his things."

Sam's sharp intake of breath told him that his confession had surprised her. "Oh," she said which was about all Jack expected her to say.

"I haven't been through it in a long time," Jack admitted, "So maybe, after we get through these boxes," Jack suggested, indicating the other two boxes that were sitting on the floor, "You'll return the favor and help me go through that box."

Sam rested her head against Jack's shoulder. "I'd love to. Does this mean you'll help me sort out the other two boxes?"

"Of course," Jack assured her as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Technically, someone should have already went through these boxes to make sure there isn't classified material in them, but…"

"But?"

"But since you take classified material home all the time and your house has been cleared for it, we can wait until you're ready to go through these boxes," Jack finished.

"Thanks," Sam whispered, permitting herself to snuggle just a little bit closer to Jack.

"Always," Jack promised.

----

AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews I've got so far. I need a little help deciding whether or not to write a new story, please vote on my profile page in the new poll!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next morning, Sam woke up in her own bed, with no recollection of how she had gotten there. She remembered spending the evening with the General, no Jack, she corrected herself. The General was the hard, unreadable soldier, Jack was the loving, emotional man that had been her anchor since her father had died.

She looked at the stand beside her bed and noticed a note in Jack's unmistakable scrawl.

_Carter-_

_You fell asleep on me last night, so I put you to bed. I'll lock up on my way out and have already turned off your alarm. Come in whenever you wake up or not at all-just call Walter if you're not._

_I know that we didn't talk about what I originally came over for but something tells me that this was more important. My only advice right now is to give yourself time. Time to deal with Jacob's death and time to think about what you want to do rather than jumping into a decision. Know this, regardless of what you decide, I'll always stand behind your decision._

_Sleep in Carter, that's an order._

_J. O'Neill_

Sam looked at the clock on her bedside which read 9:00, which was significantly later than what she usually slept. She was slightly angry with Jack for shutting off her alarm and deciding she needed to sleep, but relieved at the same time that he was looking out for her. Sam could admit to herself that she needed the sleep. The previous evening had been emotionally draining as she remembered many of the events of her time at the SGC.

The fact that a vacation with Cassie had preceded the recall of those memories, had meant that the vacation had not been as relaxing as what they had originally planned, but the time with Cassie had been necessary. It the rush of events over the past year, Sam realized that she had neglected the young girl, something that her and Jack were going to need to discuss as the girl's legal guardians.

In the meantime, Sam was going to go for a run, take a shower, and pick-up some lunch to share with her teammates before going into work. But first, she was going to call Jack.

"O'Neill."

"Sir, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be in time for lunch today. I've got a few things to catch up on in my lab," Sam stated.

"They could wait," Jack objected.

"They could," Sam agreed, "But I need to do something that gets me headed back towards normalcy."

"And playing with alien doohickeys is the best way to be 'normal'," Jack casually added which made Sam smile and work to contain a giggle, which she guessed was his original intent.

"What a strangle life we lead," Sam observed. "Anyways, I thought you might want to know and maybe inform the guys that I'm bringing lunch in from that Chinese place you and Daniel like so much."

"I'll let them know. Call me when you get here," he ordered before hanging up the phone.

Sam just smiled and went on her much needed run.

----

It was almost lunchtime when Sam pulled into her reserved parking spot on base. Not quite as good as the General's spot, but it was better than several of the full bird Colonels simply for the reason she had been there longer-and was the expert on the Stargate. It was much more likely that she would be getting a call in the middle of the night that required her immediate attention than several of the team leaders, and the fact that she was now the leader of SG-1 gave her a little more justification for what had long been her parking spot.

Right now, she was grateful for the fact her spot was so close to the building. Not only did she have her normal amount of paperwork and her laptop, but a couple of additional bags filled with what she hoped would be enough food to feed all of SG-1 and the General, who they really considered to still be a member of the team, even if he didn't.

Several of the guards at the checkpoints looked like they were going to say something to her, but the scowl on her face stopped them. Sam arrived at Daniel's lab to find everyone already there, like they had been expecting her.

And they were nice enough to at least take the bags with the food out of her hands as they greeted her.

They cleared some room on one of Daniel's lab tables and began distributing the food.

"Thanks for bringing lunch Sam," Daniel said, "I really wasn't looking forward to whatever was the special of the day."

"Think of it as my way of saying thank you for being such a wonderful friend and a down payment towards future requests," Sam responded, waving off his gratitude.

Luckily, no one pushed the issue so it didn't take long for them to digress to work related conversation.

Once lunch was over, Sam walked to her lab with the General who was carrying several file folders of translations for her, courtesy of Daniel.

"There's a meeting for all team leaders at 1400," Jack said as he sat the folders down.

Sam looked at him and gave him the glare. "What would you have done if I hadn't decided to come in today? Told everyone that I was taking the day off? I need to be there for those meetings. They're part of my duty as a team leader."

"Who doesn't really have a team," Jack claimed knowing that he was going to upset her, "Which is what I wanted to talk to you about. What do you want to do about SG-1? I can give you pretty much anyone that you want for a new team or let you have free reign of the labs for the time being, only going into the field when you want or need to," Jack offered.

Sam sighed and realized that there would be no easy way to deal with this and that she shouldn't be angry with him for not telling her. He had probably known she would come into work unless he ordered her not to and she did need to make a decision. "How soon is Teal'c leaving?" she asked.

"Beginning of the week," Jack responded as he picked up one of the things lying on her lab table, one of the safe ones, left there specifically for him to play with.

Sam exhaled. "That's soon."

"Yeah."

"Don't suppose I could put off deciding?" Sam requested.

"Sure, but if you don't make a decision, Teal'c will leave and you'll have people lined up at your door and I'll have a million requests for people to transfer to SG-1," Jack explained.

"True," Sam admitted, realizing that he was right. "Guess we say that Daniel and I are going to concentrate on our specialties for the time being, after all, I am going to busy with the new ship here pretty soon. It doesn't make sense to put together a new team only to have Daniel leaving in six months and me being gone for a lot of that time leading up to that."

"So I tell them that the team is being put on long term stand down?" Jack confirmed.

"Yes sir," Sam responded.

"Good, then let's go to this meeting," Jack suggested holding the door open for her and then pulling the door to her lab shut behind him.

----

The meeting went surprisingly well, and Sam had to admit that there were going to be some advantages to being out of the mission rotation, like not having to train the new recruits.

"The next batch of recruits arrives tomorrow," Jack reminded, "And SG-15 will be doing their training."

Sighs of relief and triumphant smirks were seen all around the briefing room table as the various team leaders were relieved that it wasn't their turn.

But the new leader of SG-15 was going to object to this. "Sir, I thought that SG-1 was next on the list for that duty," Lieutenant Colonel Joe Huey objected.

"They were," the General admitted.

"Then why isn't Colonel Carter's team going to do their part, or is she not feeling up to it and needs to take some vacation time again," the man reasoned aloud.

It took all of Sam's control not to respond with some smart remark, and judging by the look on Colonel Reynold's face, the General's official 2IC, she wasn't the only one.

Sam was sure that if an alarm signaling an off world activation hadn't sounded, she might have still done something that she would later regret.

It seemed the General knew that and with a glance, told her to take care of things in the control room while he continued the briefing. So Sam rushed off to open the iris for an SG team which was returning safe and sound, right on schedule, and with Walter's help, was able to advise them that their briefing was scheduled at 1600 hours.

By the time she returned to the briefing room, Huey was still throwing her evil looks, but she refused to let them bother her, and instead focused her attention on the General of who was reminding everyone of several changes in policy, including the fact that they were now searching for their fourth new CMO after the death of Janet Fraiser, and he was almost begging the men to be nice to whomever they got next because "the paperwork for all these transfers is killing me," he claimed, which resulted in chuckles from much of the group.

Dixon was the one who brought real laughter out when he reminded Jack, "This is another case of do as I say and not as I do, General."

"For cryin' out loud," Jack said which brought a few more chuckles from his audience.

The team leaders were starting to pack up their folders, though they had yet to make any real moves to leave, waiting instead for Jack to dismiss them, as they had reached the end of the listed schedule.

"One last thing guys," Jack said sparing a glance at Sam as he continued. "Teal'c has decided to leave SG-1 and return to the Jaffa." Whispered conversations began around the table as everyone tried to discuss this news, but Jack interrupted them as he continued speaking, "And Dr. Jackson has already requested to be on the next ship to Atlantis, both of which Colonel Carter and I have approved."

Again, whispered words could be heard all around the table, and again, Jack continued speaking, "Along those lines, SG-1 has been removed from the mission roster until the fate of the team can be decided as Colonel Carter will be making frequent trips to Area 51 to work on the new ship. For the time being, SG-1 will not, I repeat not, be doing any field work as a team, and for that reason, no effort will be expended to try and find new members for the team, at least until after Dr. Jackson departs. I'm sure I can count on you to pass the message to your teams that requests for transfers to SG-1 will not be accepted or even available and will just be a waste of time." Jack sent a stare around the table that reinforced his last statement. "Dismissed gentlemen."

Colonel Huey was the first one out the door, Sam noticed as she stood up and watched the General stroll to his office. She turned to leave, only to have Colonels Reynolds and Dixon fall into step with her.

"Don't let Huey bother you Sam," Dixon said, "He's too new to understand how things work around here."

"I'm surprised Jack didn't take his head off," Reynolds added.

"What did he do?" Sam asked unable to resist the chance to find out.

"Told the man to shut his trap and told him that he was welcome to takeover your projects any time that he wanted, not in that language of course, but that was the gist of it," Dixon answered.

Sam huffed, "I'm sure that his words were much more colorful than that."

"They were," Reynolds assured her. "He also said that you had a private life outside of the SGC that was no concern of his, and if he had a problem with it, Huey should take it up with him in private."

"Is there something going on besides the normal craziness?" Dixon asked calmly, not really pressuring Sam for an answer as they entered the empty elevator, more just willing to lend an ear.

Normally, Sam wouldn't say anything, but if there was one person outside of her team that she would talk about this problem with, Dave Dixon would be the man, after all he had children of his own. "Cassie's been having a really hard time lately," she admitted.

"Ah. That explains things," Reynolds stated.

"What?" Sam questioned as the elevator began to slowly move towards the floor her lab was on.

"Normally you do a pretty good job of hiding your emotions and you don't ever stay away from work for a long time, but ever since you've come back from vacation, I could tell something was bothering you," Dixon explained.

"Any suggestions?" Sam asked, looking at the experience parent for any advice.

The man shook his head and patted Sam on the shoulder, "Yeah, get some regular hours and be home every night for her, but that's not something that you can control when you work here."

"Thanks," she said as she walked out of the elevator, already contemplating the man's words and starting to think that the transfer to Area 51 was looking better all the time.

It didn't take long for Sam to forget about her conversation though as she became involved in several reports from other scientists about devices they were working on, and as she began to fiddle with a device of her own.

She didn't even notice the passage of time until she sensed the General walk into the room and pick up one of the devices she had left sitting on the lab table. She directed her attention away from the simulation she had been running on her computer and to him, before he broke something. She carefully pulled the device out of his hands and replaced it with a yo-you which she kept on hand for times such as these.

"Is there something I can help you with sir?" Sam asked.

Jack paused in his attempt to 'walk the dog' and stared at her. "Well, I just want to point out that it is 1800 hours, and you're still in your lab. I'm sure that you haven't eaten since lunchtime and you still have several boxes of stuff to unpack at home, which I'm offering to help with since I have a free evening."

Sam looked at the clock and realized that he was telling the truth about the time, and surveyed her lab, which was much more organized and less crowded than it had been a few hours ago. She didn't have any pressing projects right now, and she was hungry. "Are you offering to feed me or do I need to cook?" Sam questioned in return as she started working on cleaning up the pile of papers and folders she had finished with and putting them in her out box.

Jack didn't have to think about letting Sam cook; it was common knowledge that she couldn't cook. "I'll pick up something from the deli on the way your to place," Jack offered. "Meet you in 45 minutes."

"Deal," Sam accepted.

----


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A quick meal of sandwiches was followed by Sam resuming the position she had ended the night before in, curled up against Jack with his arm around her. As much as Sam enjoyed that position, she reached down and opened the second box, this one was much bigger than the other two equally sized boxes.

"Is that clothing?" Jack asked.

"Some of it," Sam answered as she pulled a carefully folded blanket out of the box. "This is my baby blanket. My mom made it." Sam unfolded it so Jack could see just how small it was.

Jack was careful to look at it, and handle it with care, seeing how much Sam valued this small blanket.

Sam reached down and pulled a second one from the box. "This one was Mark's," she explained.

"They're beautiful," Jack exclaimed, looking at the small careful stitches that made up the patchwork quilt.

"Dad once told me that she started working on these as soon as she found out she was pregnant," Sam claimed. She carefully set them aside and went for the large bag that had been hidden underneath. Before she even touched it, she knew what it was, but still she opened it. She unzipped the bag, to reveal a white material.

Jack watched Sam's face as she unzipped the bag and then watched her as she closed the bag.

"My mom's wedding dress," was all Sam said as she carefully returned the baby blankets to their original position and put the lid back on the box. She collapsed onto the couch and into Jack's arms, burying her head into her chest as she cried tears.

Jack couldn't tell you who her tears were for, her mom, her dad, or herself, but it didn't matter to him, he was just going to hold her until she was done crying.

When Sam did finish crying, she didn't move for fear of revealing the huge wet spot she had left on his shirt. "Sorry," she apologized.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for," Jack whispered as he rubbed her back soothingly, just like he had with Charlie when he was little. "I promised always, and I meant it."

Sam pulled away so that she could look into his eyes and see the serious expression in his eyes that confirmed his words. Reluctantly, Sam removed herself from Jack's hold and moved the other box that had been sitting off to the side. At the same time, Jack moved the larger box out of the way, leaving open floor space for Sam to put the unopened box.

There was no hesitation as Sam lifted the lid off of the last box.

The first thing Jack noticed was another large shoebox, even larger than the first one. There was also another photo album, though this one looked older and much smaller than the previous ones. Finally, there was a wooden box, very similar to one that Jack had.

Sam pulled the wooden box out first and set it on her lap before settling herself once more against Jack's side. She carefully removed the lib and put it on the coffee table. The first thing Sam noticed was the gun that was in the box.

Jack was the one who reached for the gun first, instinctively checking that the safety was on, which it was, and that it wasn't loaded, which it wasn't. Then he examined the gun carefully before handing it over to Sam. "Something special about this gun?"

Sam held the gun and felt the comfortable weight of it in her hands once more. "Dad taught me to shoot with this gun," she explained as she checked the weapon over noticing that it had been well cared for over the years. "It was his gun, his personal sidearm. I think it was a gift from someone, but I'm not really sure."

Sam handed the weapon back to Jack along with several spare clips. He then carefully placed it on the coffee table.

Next, Sam pulled out a wedding band, her father's wedding ring. Silently, she passed this to Jack also who placed it on the coffee table. Sam opened two ring boxes, the first one revealed a matching wedding band to her father's ring, the other an engagement ring, neither of which she had seen in a very long time. Again, Sam didn't say anything as she passed them to Jack who admired the rings before closing the boxes and set them on the coffee table.

The wooden box was now empty, so Sam leaned forward to gather the things that had originally been in it from the coffee table before closing it once again.

Sam reached for the small photo album, pretty sure that she already knew what was inside, and if she hadn't the first picture would have given it away. Her mother was holding hands with her father wearing the same dress that Sam had recently found. Jacob was in his dress blues, but the picture was so fuzzy that Sam couldn't quite make out the rank on his shoulders.

"You look a lot like your mom," Jack commented, breaking the silence that had stretched between them.

"Everyone says that," Sam responded as she flipped through the first few pages before closing the album and placing it on top of the wooden box. Sam took a deep breath before reaching for the shoebox. She put her hand on the lid to open it, only to have Jack's hand cover hers and stop her. She turned her head to look into at his face.

"You don't have to rush. I'll be here as long as you need me," he promised, his eyes affirming this declaration.

Sam nodded and felt Jack withdraw his hand. Rather than pulling the lid off like she planned, she relaxed into Jack's side, letting his presence comfort her in a way that only he could. She gathered her legs underneath of her and set the shoebox next to her, making herself even more comfortable next to Jack.

Only when she was comfortable and ready did she pull the lid off the shoebox to reveal that it was stuffed to the brim with the same kind of things as the other shoebox.

Carefully, Sam gathered the top layer of pictures into a stack and held them so Jack could also see them, and began a running commentary on just what the pictures were of.

"These are from Mark's wedding," Sam explained, as she quickly passed through those pictures which had both her and her father in their dress blues.

"This is from my promotion to Captain. Dad gave me his old insignia and pinned it on himself," Sam explained as she shuffled through the stack of pictures, a few of which were from that event.

Jack was silent, not needing much more of an explanation than the one that Sam was providing for him, instead opting to let Sam sort through the memories the pictures triggered in her own way.

That stack of pictures complete, Sam handed them to Jack who placed them on the coffee table while she picked up several magazines from the shoebox.

While Sam didn't recognize all the magazines by the cover, she recognized one or two which was enough for her to know that there must be an article written by her in them somewhere. Silently, she added those to the cluttered coffee table.

Sam picked up a couple more pictures, these of her in a cap and gown. "Getting my doctorate," Sam explained for Jack's benefit before adding them to the growing pile.

The pile continued to grow as Sam added several more magazines, one of which included her first published article she explained to Jack, even flipping open the magazine so that he could see for himself. The first sentence of the article was something that caused Jack's eyes to glaze over. Sam smiled at his instant reaction and just closed the magazine, placing it on the still growing pile.

Sam added pictures of her graduating with her Masters and her Academy graduation before stopping when she got to her high school pictures. She pulled the pictures from the top. "You have to promise not to laugh at these," she requested of Jack, keeping the pictures carefully hidden from view.

Jack raised his hand, "Scout's Honor," he promised.

Sam looked at him questioningly, "You were never a scout, were you?"

"Nope."

Sam shook her head in disbelief and showed Jack the first picture. "High school graduation," she explained, though she figured Jack could figure that out for himself.

Jack looked at the picture and couldn't find any reason that Sam might want him to promise not to laugh at her, though this picture was a faraway shot, one of Sam standing at a podium. "Valedictorian?" Jack guessed.

"Uh-hu," Sam acknowledged, moving onto the next picture, this one of her walking across the stage to receive her diploma.

Still, Jack couldn't figure out what Sam was talking about, and then she showed him the next picture, this one of a younger Samantha Carter, one with really long blonde hair, showing off her diploma dressed in her cap and gown. Jack looked at Sam. "I don't see anything funny yet."

"Just remember, you promised," Sam reminded him, flipping to the next picture.

Jack couldn't help himself, he laughed. There was Sam Carter, kick-butt Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter, in the middle of what had to be the biggest bunch of geeky looking people Jack had ever seen outside of the SGC. And judging by the black substance and huge grin on her face, she had just blown something up, and it was a good thing.

Sam elbowed him in the ribs, letting him know that she didn't appreciate his laughter as a blush grew across her face in embarrassment, knowing that there were some even more embarrassing pictures yet to be seen.

"Sorry," Jack said.

"No you're not," Sam countered.

"You're right, I'm not," Jack agreed, "But you look so…cute there with all those geeks that I couldn't help myself."

"Cute?" Sam repeated in disbelief.

With just a finger, Jack turned Sam's head so that she was looking into his eyes. "Trust me when I say that your engagement to Pat upset every available man in the mountain, along with a few of the married ones that were hoping for their shot at you."

Sam looked at him incredulously, but didn't bother to correct Jack, instead choosing to return to the pictures. Several more embarrassing pictures and Sam could set those aside, now getting to a few that she actually liked and thought were good, as far as high school pictures went that was.

Sure enough, the next stack of pictures revealed Sam in a prom dress, a moderately conservative green dress. "Prom," Sam stated, though she was sure Jack had already figured that out.

"No date?" Jack asked, noticing that Sam was by herself.

"No," Sam said as she shuffled to the next picture, this one of her with several friends all posing for the camera. "A bunch of us girls went together. We had a good time," Sam smiled at the memory.

Those pictures faded to ones that had Sam standing next to science fair experiments and even one of her at space camp. There were a few of an awkward looking Sam, too tall and skinny. The pictures kept going back until Sam got almost to the bottom of the box where Sam pulled out a newspaper that she didn't even have glance past the date to know why that newspaper was in this box.

Jack silently took the fading newspaper and placed it on the still growing pile.

At the very bottom of the box, under everything else was a framed picture lying face down, and Sam was almost certain she knew what it was. Her hands shook and she could already feel the tears starting to form as she reached for it and pulled it out of the box. Slowly, she turned it over and revealed the last Carter family photo taken before her mother died. The last time the four of them had been together, smiling and happy at an informal picnic hosted by someone in the neighborhood they had been living in at that time. Seeing that picture caused a dam inside Sam to break. All the little cracks of the past week had finally added up, and Sam couldn't take any more.

Jack took the picture out of Sam's hands and put it on the coffee table, careful that it went somewhere that it wouldn't fall off. Then he pulled her onto his lap, wrapping her up in his arms and let her cry.

And cry she did. Crocodile tears for her mom, gasping sobs for her dad, and finally sniffles for her own life, which right now seemed pretty directionless and difficult. But one thing was good right now, and that was the fact Jack O'Neill was the one holding her. The one person in the world, no the universe, who knew just how to make her feel better and just how to treat her like the woman and soldier that she was.

The only downside to this was she felt emotionally dependent on the man who had come to mean so much more to her than just a commanding officer. She didn't know if it was just friendship or the possibility of something more though. Right now she had more important things to figure out, like how she was going to get herself out of Jack's lap without totally embarrassing herself.

Obviously her thoughts had been too loud, because Jack kept rubbing her back in a soothing motion and ordered in a soft voice, "Quit thinking Carter. You don't have to figure everything out in one day."

"Yes I-," Sam responded automatically, which made Jack chuckle, a sound which made his whole chest shake. "How did you know-"

"I know you," Jack explained.

Sam smiled and relaxed, not ready to move out of Jack's lap and embrace.

Jack felt her relax and on reflex, hugged her a little bit tighter, continuing to rub her back in a soothing motion. Sure enough, Sam was asleep in a short amount of time.

Jack marveled at the trust this woman placed in him. She was military through and through, and one thing that military men and women did not do was show emotion because emotions were a sign of weakness. Yet she had collapsed in his arms, cried, and fallen asleep for the second time in as many days.

But all of this left him confused. Sam had never mentioned anything about her upcoming wedding, which was supposed to take place tomorrow if he remembered correctly. Yet, as far as he could tell, there wasn't going to be a wedding, at least if the rumors were right.

Still, Jack was worried about trying to move Sam. Every time he moved just a little bit, she moved and seemed to come a little closer to waking up. So Jack's only option was to slowly slide his body around so that he was lying on the couch and Sam was curled up on top of him. Not exactly comfortable, but it was the best he could do without waking her and he wasn't going to wake her. Jack reached up and pulled the blanket that was resting on the back of the couch and, as well as he could, spread it out overtop of him and Sam.

Then he laid back and loosely wrapped his arms around Sam and drifted off sleep.

It was one of the worst naps Jack had gotten in a long time, but not because he was uncomfortable, but because he was holding a woman that he cared deeply about. He watched her sleep, something that he had done occasionally when they were off world together as SG-1.

But right now he really had to pee, even though it was only 0300, by his watch, and since it had been almost 0100 when Sam drifted off, Jack knew she had to be tired, and probably wouldn't be interested in moving.

----


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Sleeping beauty," a voice called through the haze of sleep, one that Sam was intent on ignoring, except it kept talking.

"Samantha," it said this time, and still Sam ignored it, perfectly content to stay in the warm cocoon of sleep that she was enjoying.

"Go away," she tried to say, though she wasn't sure if the voice could understand that from the mumbling that came out.

"Carter," the voice said this time, slightly more recognizable than before.

Sam opened one eye and raised her head slightly, took in her surroundings enough to wiggle towards the back of the couch, allowing the body under her to do its own wiggling and get out from under her. Sam clutched the blanket and let sleep claim her again.

The next thing Sam knew, she was being picked up and carried, and it took all of her military training not to use her defense training and attack the person, but considering the care the man was using to move her, Sam was reasonably convinced that she was still in her house and quick glimpses through barely cracked eyelids confirmed that she was still in her house. So she let the person carry her and then settle her into her own bed, pulling the covers up tight to tuck her in.

What surprised her though was the way the man sat down on the bed as she faced away from him. The man moved several pieces of hair out of her face and sighed.

"I'm so sorry Sam that you have to go through this. You of all people deserve a little happiness in life," Jack O'Neill whispered at what he thought was a sleeping Sam.

"I hoped that there would be a time when we would both find that happiness together, but I don't think it was meant to be. I want you to be happy more than anything else and I'll always be there for you Samantha, no matter what," he finished and leaned down to place a kiss into her hair.

Then he was gone, never realizing that a half-awake Sam had become a fully awake Sam and heard every single word.

Sam knew that the last thing she should do was run after Jack and tell him that she had heard every word. Not only would that put them both in awkward position, because she wasn't quite sure what she would say after that, but Sam was pretty sure that Jack had never intended for her to hear those words, even if he had taken the time to say them out loud in her presence.

None of this meant that Sam didn't want to run after him-just that she wouldn't. She had never let her heart rule her decisions before, and she wasn't about to start right now.

As tired as she was, she couldn't seem to quit running the words Jack had said over and over in her head. So instead of sleeping, she ended up staring at the ceiling and out the window trying to figure out what she was going to do with her new knowledge, accidently imparted as it was, and make it look as innocent as possible.

All her brain power went to good use as a plan began to form in her mind. Only when Sam had an Option A, Option B, and the start of an Option C was she able to let her brain kick off and allow her to go to sleep.

----

Sam woke up the next morning to an empty house, not that she was expecting anything different, but just like the previous morning, she once again found a note. Though this time, it was on her kitchen counter, rather than her bedside table.

_Sam-_

_Thank for sharing your past with me. It's really hard to do, but one of the best things that you can do._

_I know that you think you're weak because you cried over some pictures, but I wish that I had been able to look at Charlie's things and cry over them._

_The pain will never go away completely Sam, but someday you'll be able to remember the good more often than the bad._

_You're strong Sam and you're surrounded by people that care about you. Don't be afraid to lean on them when you need to, they won't think less of you for it._

_I'm planning to have a going away BBQ for Teal'c tomorrow at my place 1200 hours. Be there Carter, that's an order._

_Jack_

_P.S. I already ordered your lab locked, barring any planetary emergencies, so don't even think about trying to use that as an excuse for missing the party!_

Sam had to smile at the end of the note. She really hadn't been thinking about going into her lab, especially considering this was Teal'c last weekend on Earth, at least for a while. And no matter what else was going on in her life, she wasn't going to miss the opportunity to spend time with her closest friends. She was just thankful that Cassie had gotten to come to the cabin to see him. While Cassie had never been particularly close with Teal'c, at least compared to Jack or Sam, she had no doubt that the younger girl would miss his presence only slightly less than Sam would.

Which was why when Teal'c left, Sam would be looking at Option A. Daniel had already requested some time off world with Teal'c as he helped the Free Jaffa setup their new government, so Sam knew that he wouldn't be there to keep her from missing Teal'c.

But right now, Sam was going to focus on the people that were there with her, rather than the fact that they were leaving.

----

In the end, the BBQ was a great success. As it had happened many times before, the friends had spent time enjoying each other's company from the early afternoon into the wee hours of the morning. They had all ended up sleeping in various spots in Jack's living room, almost like they wanted to have one last time of sleeping around the campfire off world together, though without the chance of being attacked this time.

So rather than feel Teal'c's absence and have a taste of what would soon be a lack of Daniel's presence, Sam decided to get a good look at Option A. So she had a long conversation with Cassie Sunday evening, and the girl readily agreed with Sam's idea for the summer.

On Monday morning, Sam wore her dress blues to work. Not just to honor Teal'c in the gate room, but so that she could officially make her request for a transfer in a respectful manner to the General.

Sam had already said her tearful good-byes to Teal'c before leaving the General's house, though she knew that there would be a few more words to exchange and one last hug to give before Teal'c left.

So Sam stood at the base of the ramp, side by side with the General who hadn't complained once about wearing his dress blues, and Daniel, who was already packed and ready to go. Together the three of them waited for Teal'c to enter the room that was crowded with as many SGC personnel as could be fit into the room and still leave room for Teal'c to enter and for the gate to activate.

Sam had been surprised to hear that there had been a battle by the team leaders to decide which teams would be in the gate room for the planned send off. She wasn't shocked though. After all Teal'c was respected by many of the teams, but probably not as well liked as the other members of SG-1 simply because he was harder to get to know. Still though, every team leader who was on planet, was standing in the gate room, along with as many of the higher ranking military officers, as could be crammed in, along with the few civilians who had somehow managed to squeeze a spot.

When the door opened, everyone in the room snapped to attention, giving the Jaffa that entered the amount of respect normally reserved for a General. Teal'c was dressed in his Jaffa robes, and carried his staff weapon. Yet it seemed that Teal'c didn't see anyone else in the room but his teammates.

With his back to the gate, which had begun to dial, Teal'c offered Jack the traditional Jaffa handshake, before hugging the man while Daniel held the staff weapon. Sam could tell that there were a few whispered words exchanged, but over the din created by the dialing gate, was unable to hear what was said.

Teal'c then turned to her and despite the uniform she was wearing, fully embraced her in his one of a kind hugs, and whispered, "I hope that Rya'c is blessed with a daughter who shows the same skill of a warrior and cunning of a woman as you possess Samantha Carter. I am proud to call you my sister Colonel Carter."

Sam fought back tears at his praise, and whispered, "I'll miss you Teal'c. Look out for our little brother would you Teal'c?"

"I shall," he promised as he pulled back, just in time for as the wormhole formed. Daniel was already up the ramp, having said his good-byes while they waited on Teal'c and now stood next to the shimmering blue surface, waiting on Teal'c to join him.

Teal'c took several large steps up the ramp and turned to face Jack and Sam who had snapped to attention, to match the rest of the gate room personnel. It was then that Jack gave the ordered which resulted in every person in the gate room and in the control room giving Teal'c a military perfect salute. Teal'c accepted the honor with his customary silence, but bowed his head in return. Rather than speaking, he turned and continued up the ramp and together with Daniel, stepped through the wormhole.

A few seconds later, the glow from the wormhole was gone, and the room began to clear as the SGC personnel went to change from their dress uniforms into BDUs and return to whatever they were doing before the short ceremony.

Sam too escaped the room, knowing if she stood there too long, she might never do what she needed to do. She headed to her lab to pick up the documents she had prepared that morning and waited long enough for the General to change clothes because she knew he wouldn't stay in his dress blues any longer than he had to be. She tried concentrating on some equations for the new X-303, but found herself staring at the clock, waiting for Walter to call and inform her that the General was ready for her.

Sam had to wonder when she began to be able to distinguish Jack from the General. She knew that they were the same person, yet Jack was the one she wanted around more often. The General was strong and unemotional while Jack was comforting and calm. She loved both of them separately, but she wasn't sure if she could handle loving them as one. Jack the General wasn't someone she had ever spent time with.

Sam's silent musings ended when the phone in her lab rang. It was Walter telling her that the General was in his office and ready for a meeting.

----

Sam knocked on the door, just like she always did. The General was hunched over one of the piles of paperwork that littered his desk.

"Ah Carter, come to rescue me?" the General asked as he motioned her into the room, indicating the spread of papers on his desk.

Sam shook her head and closed the door behind her, not wanting their conversation to be overheard. "I'm afraid I've come to add to it," Sam admitted.

"Oh," Jack said, getting up from his desk to come around to other side. He maneuvered the two chairs so that they faced each other and gestured towards one of the chairs for Sam to sit in it. She did, only after Jack was already seated though, something which she was sure he noticed.

Without any precursor, Sam forked over the folder in her lap and waited while Jack glanced through. But he didn't just glance at it; he read the entire thing word for word. Once he reached the end of the first page, he flipped through the rest of the pages to see the completed transfer forms.

"Personal reasons?" Jack asked, reading from the form.

"Yes sir," Sam answered.

Jack put the folder down on his desk, and rubbed a hand through his hair and across his face. "I promised you I would back your decision, but you have to convince me that I'm doing the right thing by letting you go," he finally said.

Sam opened her mouth to speak, only to have Jack cut her off.

"Not right now," he ordered, looking even more distraught at the idea of her transfer the longer time went by. "I have a briefing. Later. Just use words that I'll understand," he suggested.

Sam smiled on reflex, knowing that she had dealt him a blow that he didn't deserve. He handed the folder back to her and dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

Her hand was on the doorknob when she turned around and found his eyes on her. She met his gaze and stated, "Don't over think things okay? It has nothing to do with you."

Jack smiled in a boyish fashion. "Me over think things? Carter, we might need to have your head examined, I think you're loosing it!" he exclaimed as he filed behind her out the door and into the briefing room.

Sam laughed. "I'll go work on finding it sir," she offered allowing a little humor to fill into her voice despite the fact they now had an audience.

"You do that Colonel," Jack ordered in his General's voice. Sam's laughter was music to his ears as he sat down to see just what SG-9 had for him this time.

Sam made her way to the emptying SG-1 locker room. Teal'c locker was now empty, though his name was still taped to the door. Daniel's locker would soon be empty, but before that, she would have to empty her own locker. The locker next to her still bore the tag for "J. O'Neill" mostly because they hadn't bothered to take it off-and the three of them didn't need the extra locker.

What would become of SG-1 when they all left? Right now, she couldn't worry about that, she needed to look at what new technology could be incorporated into the new X-303. Even without the transfer, she would have spent a large chunk of the coming summer months working on the new ship, now she could wrap up the remainder of her projects here and throw herself full force into the new ship.

----

Sam worked long into the night, skipping lunch and having just a granola bar for supper, though she didn't notice being hungry. Her only interruption had been a slow, yet steady stream of people that came and went from her lab requesting assistance on their various projects.

It was at that late, or rather early hour, depending on how you look at it that Sam caught General Jack O'Neill standing in the doorway of her lab watching her.

"Carter, didn't I order you to get a life?" Jack reprimanded.

"Several times sir. I'm sure Teal'c could tell you the exact number," Sam answered, once more turning her attention back to the experiment currently underway.

"Then why haven't you done it?" Jack asked, slightly exasperated.

Sam threw her arms up in the air in frustration. "This is my life," she exclaimed indicating her lab, "And every time you've ordered me to get a life, I've gotten pulled back here sir."

Jack considered her words before asking, "Is that why you want to leave?"

"It's one of the reasons," Sam answered.

Jack raised an eyebrow in a Teal'c-like fashion and took a seat on the stool that Sam kept in her lab just for him.

Sam took that to mean that she should continue. "There's the fact that I'm going to be there anyways for the next few months. I'd rather be the one in charge, making sure that it gets done right then having to go down and fix someone else's mess once a week."

Jack nodded, agreeing with that statement, remembering the past instances she had been called to Area 51.

"There's the fact that it looks good for my career and doesn't look so good that I keep turning the position down. I mean, I could rationalize it when we were fighting a war, but now? I can't really turn it down without people asking questions, even if I stay the leader of SG-1, which with Teal'c having already left and Daniel leaving is not something I'm sure I want to do. I'm not sure I can imagine a team without the two of them." It was left unsaid that not having him on the team was hard, that fact had already been expressed some time before.

Again Jack nodded. "And?"

"And I talked to Cassie over the weekend."

"Oh," Jack said before motioning for her to continue.

"She has summer vacation coming up and she already said that she didn't want to come back to Colorado Springs for it. So, I asked her if she'd be interested in living with me over the summer if I took the transfer. Cassie was almost jumping up and down at the idea. She needs me right now sir, and if I can be there for her, I'm going to do it," Sam finished.

"Get some sleep Carter, that's an order," Jack said dejectedly and stalked from the room.

Sam just hung her head. She had disappointed him with her decision to leave and she didn't know how to fix it without making the gap that was between them grow wider.

----


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Jack was eating his favorite breakfast the following morning-Fruit Loops-at the regular SG-1 table when Sam sat down across from him.

Jack looked up, but didn't speak for quite some time. "Were you even going to talk to me about Cassie living with you this summer before you left?"

Sam gaped at the accusing tone in his voice. "Cassie is our responsibility sir, Janet gave his co-guardianship. I honestly didn't think that you would have a problem with it. With you being in charge of the SGC and everything I just didn't think-"

"That I'd make time for Cassie?" Jack accused her.

"No!" Sam exclaimed and then lowered her voice, "I just knew that Cassie wasn't comfortable coming back here to Colorado Springs right now and it's not like you can transfer somewhere else. You're needed here."

"So are you."

Sam shook her head. "Not like you are sir."

Jack snorted. "They only need me to sign requisitions for toilet paper and potatoes, it's not like I'm the leading expert on the Stargate."

"You do more than that," Sam reprimanded him. "You're a leader. No one else would have the trust of the men and women on this base like you do. General Hammond couldn't have left the base in better hands than yours."

"If you say so."

"I do," Sam declared with a finality to the words that told Jack arguing would get him no where.

"So I'm guessing Cassie is going to live with you?"

"Yeah," Sam said, reluctant to continue speaking for fear they would end up in argument.

"What about when you're away working on the X-303?" Jack questioned.

Sam shrugged her shoulders. "Cassie's a big girl, I'm sure she can handle living by herself for two or three day stretches. Besides, I was kind of counting on you and Daniel to check up on her occasionally and even visit. I figured I get a house with three bedrooms. One for me, one for Cassie, and an extra for when you guys visit. I was even thinking about putting bunk beds in it." Sam finished with a hint of a smile.

"So you're not going to just disappear and never be heard of again?" Jack questioned, starting to feel bad about getting angry with her in the first place.

"God no! Would you let me?"

"No way! I'm convinced this place will fall apart without you. Mark my words, we'll be calling you once a week to fix a problem with the gate," Jack remarked.

"Will you miss me?" Sam asked, turning the tide of the conversation.

"Of course," Jack insisted. "I won't have anyone to barge in and interrupt my paperwork anymore."

"I don't do that sir," Sam claimed.

"Do too."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not." Sam dissolved in giggles, realizing that she had fallen into his trap by continuing the conversation.

The sound of the klaxon prevented any further discussion though as they were both called to the control room. Thankfully the returning team wasn't under attack, they had just been hit by a bad rain storm and had decided to head home early rather than try to work through it, something that Sam could easily understand.

Sam arrived in her office to find that the folder she had taken away from her meeting with the General the previous day had been moved. When Sam opened it, she found every single form signed and dated, along with a notation that the forms had already been submitted. On the top was a sticky note with the words _"We need to talk"_ written in the unmistakable scrawl of Jack O'Neill.

Sam looked up to see Jack standing in the doorway of her lab.

"Is there any way I can talk you out of this?" he pleaded.

"No sir. I need to do this," Sam affirmed.

"How long will it take you to finish up here?" Jack asked, indicating the spread of things throughout the lab.

"A day, probably less," Sam responded.

"As soon as you're done, let me know and I'll grant the leave you requested and inform Area 51 when to expect you," Jack ordered.

"Yes sir." Sam answered with a smile on her face.

----

In fact, it didn't even take much past lunch to finish up her projects. Clearing out her lab, marking the things that she would need at Area 51, and finally clearing out her quarters and locker took the rest of the day though.

Her personal things fit into two boxes. Sam was standing, trying to figure out how to get the two boxes out without making two trips when General O'Neill poked his head into the locker room, almost as if he expected to find her there.

"You ready to leave?" he asked picking up the bigger and heavier box.

Sam took one more glance at her now empty locker and nodded. "Yes sir." She joined him, picking up the other box, and following him as he led the way out of the locker room, but just as she got to the door, she stopped and took one more look around.

"You know, you can come back any time Carter, you'll always be welcomed here," Jack softly reminded her.

"I know, it just seems so…" Sam explained but was lost as to how to finish the statement.

Luckily, Jack seemed to know exactly what she meant. "Life altering? Final? It is," he claimed, "But even I know that your transfer is only on a temporary basis."

Sam looked at him in shock.

"Hey, even I read the small print on important things. You're transfer and your position as the head of Research and Development at Area 51 will be reevaluated after the new X-303 launches. At that point, the Head of Homeworld Security will decide where your talents would be best used. You could easily be reassigned to the SGC," Jack said, shrugging off her questioning look.

Sam shook her head, and walked side-by-side with the General out of the locker room belonged to SG-1 and into the elevator for the long trip to the surface.

On the way out, they received many questioning looks. The SFs at the security checkpoints had to wondering what the General and leader of SG-1 were doing carrying boxes out of the mountain.

Once they got to her car, Sam opened the passenger door so Jack could slide his box in on the seat. Then, he took the second box from her and put in on the floor. Carefully, he shut the door to the vehicle, and stepped back to look at her. Sam stepped back and stood at attention. She pulled her hand up to offer him a salute. "It's been an honor General," Sam said as she saluted the man who was more than just a commanding officer to her.

"The honor was mine Colonel," Jack claimed, returning her salute with the same note of pride in his voice that had been evident when he had promoted her a year ago.

The two of them stood there grinning like fools for the longest time until Sam walked around and got into her vehicle, driving away without a word. Jack stood and watched her leave, wondering if what he had planned for the evening would be too forward or if she would understand.

----

Sam was packing clothes into her suitcase and talking to Mark, who had decided to apologize, when someone knocked on the door. Sam went to the door and opened it, not even bothering to look to see who it was, leaving the door open so that he could walk in.

"You're forgiven Mark," Sam said. "I'll talk to you when I have my new address and phone number," she promised, hanging up the phone and turning to her guest.

"How did you know it was me Carter?" Jack asked, slightly bewildered.

"You always knock the same way," Sam answered.

"Oh. Can I help you pack or anything?" Jack offered.

"Not really," Sam responded. "I'm not taking too much with me. The house I'm renting is mostly furnished already so I won't need to take a whole bunch of stuff with me, just personal items. Was there something that you wanted?"

Jack rocked back and forth on his feet for a few seconds. "What did you mean when you said that you were leaving the SGC to get a life?"

Sam placed the last item in a box and turned to Jack. "What do you think it means?"

Jack shrugged his shoulder. "That you finally got fed up with being on the frontlines and waiting for…so you took the first offer that some guy made and ran with it."

The way Jack talked about her just put Sam on the defensive. "So what if I did? It didn't have anything to do with you! I never let personal relationships interfere with my job-even when it involved my Dad. I put my work at the SGC in front of everything else. When a nice guy came along asked me to marry him, no one, not even you sir, had any objections! As the big day got closer, once again work was getting in the way, until I finally realized that if I want to have a relationship at all, I'm going to have to be away from the SGC to do it. So excuse me SIR if that bothers you but it's my life and as long as I have the opportunity to try and find that life you've ordered me to get, I'm going to do it!"

If it was physically possible for a person's jaw to be on the floor, than Jack O'Neill's would have been after he heard Sam's rant. Several times Jack opened and closed his mouth, almost like he was going to speak, but no words came out. When he finally was able to make words come out, he said the last thing Sam expected.

"Jack," he stated, "My name is Jack, Carter-and since I'm no longer your CO I can't order you to use it. And I wasn't asking as your ex-CO, but as your friend! I'm sorry that as your CO, I kept you from obeying an order that I gave."

Sam threw her hands in the air. "For cryin' out loud-it's Sam! We both say that we're friends, but prior to a month ago, I think we could count on one hand the number of times that we called each other by our first names-and they all include near death experiences, two hands if we include alien influences and concussions."

Jack started laughing, which would have made Sam mad if he hadn't pointed out, "You know we have the strangest jobs in the world. Most people would talk about the times they were drunk not counting and we list things like alien influences!"

Sam offered him a small smile, not one that said he was forgiven, but one that said she agreed with him.

"And the strangest relationship," Jack added.

Sam looked at him curiously, trying to decipher the meaning of his comment.

"Come on Sam-we've known each other for eight plus years and only recently, under orders, have you started calling me by my first name. Why is that?" Jack asked.

Sam ducked her head and stared at the ground. "Because I didn't think it would be appropriate."

"Why?" Jack asked, wanting her to spell it out for him.

"Because I was your 2IC. Because I was a woman. Because people already thought that we were sleeping together. Because it was the only way I could convince myself that you were off limits," Sam listed as reasons.

"Off limits?"

Sam stared at him, wondering if he was testing her or if he really didn't understand. Knowing that he often pretended he didn't understand when he really did, she figured it was the former and the stare turned into a glare. "If you don't know what I mean by that, what it meant to me, then leave now and don't come back until you do," she insisted, pushing a confused and surprised Jack O'Neill towards the door, opening it, and slamming it shut once he was outside.

Sam went into her bedroom and cried herself to sleep, clutching her pillow.

----

Over the next few days, Sam finished packing and making preparations to leave her house unoccupied for a long length of time. She got one of the neighborhood boys to mow the lawn and check up on the house once a week in exchange for a check once a month. She also paid one last visit to the Air Force hospital, where the OBGYN that had the proper security clearance and was the most knowledgeable, after Janet's death, about the problems that Jolinar had caused for Sam. The doctor agreed that Sam could have her birth control implant removed, something that the General had signed off on along with her transfer paperwork. The doctor removed it and gave Sam a clean bill of health. They also discussed how to deal with her medical file, given that most people would not have the necessary clearance to know about her condition.

Three days after the conversation with Jack, Sam loaded her car up with the boxes she needed. Then she finished closing up her house. Finally, she set the security alarm and with one last glance, drove away to escape the hurricane that had become her life.

She arrived at her newly rented house to find it just like she expected-everything already furnished and ready to go except the room that had previously been a kid's playroom. This was the room that would become the guy's guest bedroom. But she knew it would be at least a couple of weeks before any of them showed up, if Daniel or Teal'c showed up at all, and since her and Jack weren't on speaking terms any longer, she wasn't worried about him making an appearance either.

In the meantime, Sam concentrated on unpacking and getting the house ready for Cassie's arrival in two weeks.

After she got the house settled, she reported to Area 51 where she took over the R&D job, much to the relief of General Marcus Smith there. While Sam thought he lived up to his cold hearted reputation, he seemed genuinely grateful to have someone who actually knew what all the scientists and researchers were talking about. Most importantly, she could tell him if it was worthwhile to pursue, and since Sam was so experienced and had dealt with much of the technology previously, she didn't have any problems dividing the scientists who were trying to show off from those who actually knew what they were talking about when she met each of them for an official introduction to them and their projects.

What amazed Sam was the progress being made on the new X-303. The ship was almost ready to have all of its systems installed and hooked together. The most exciting piece of technology would be the Asgard hyperdrive that was slated to be installed and tested in three months.

Overall, Sam was settling in rather well to her new job. She even enjoyed her weekends off and slept in late on Saturdays like a normal person. She went shopping and spent evenings on the phone with Cassie. She even went out with some of the other scientists in her department. While the group didn't have near the amount of fun as Sam experienced with SG-1, it felt good to be part of a group that she could relate to on some level once more.

----


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

It was on Friday evening, the day before Cassie was scheduled to arrive when a knock at the door interrupted the cleaning Sam was attempting to do. The person knocked several times, and the doorbell rang a couple more as Sam moved towards the front door wondering if she had confused her days for the delivery of the bunk beds and other furniture. When she opened the door to find General Jack O'Neill standing there, Sam swallowed and didn't know quite what to say to the man.

Jack looked her in the eye, a serious expression on his face. "I've been thinking about something," he began, "And I needed your opinion about it."

"What?" Sam asked, unsure of why this man would come all this way to ask her opinion about something that he could have easily talked about over the phone.

"Actually, it's more like I need to know where I stand with some things. I guess it's where you stand too, if you want to get technical," he rambled.

"Wait," Sam interrupted, holding up a hand, "What are you talking about?"

Jack looked at her and took a different approach. "Can I come in? This could take a while."

Sam looked him over and noticed that he did indeed have a bag with him, meaning that he must have planned on staying at least the night. And no matter how confused or angry she was with him for not understanding things, she did trust him enough to let him into her home. So she opened the door wide enough for him to squeeze past her and into the hallway. She led him to the living room and dropped into a chair.

"This is nice," he commented, taking in the room.

"It works for me," Sam agreed, "What did you want?"

"I though a lot about what you said. And I guess what I need to know is where do I stand? Am I just your friend? You ex-CO? Or is there something else?" Jack asked.

Sam looked at him with wide eyes. "Where do you think that you stand?"

"I have no idea. I think that we're friends. I know that I'll always 'care about you a whole lot more than I'm supposed to'. I don't know if that is worth anything to you but-"

"It isn't," Sam assured him. "Because you were the one who was okay with leaving it in the room."

"You suggested it!" Jack objected.

"To give you a way out. I wasn't going to pressure you into doing anything, especially when you used words like 'care'. You had the most to lose. You're never specific about anything. I practically waved Pete's engagement ring in your face and all you could say was 'I wouldn't be here.' What in the world does that mean? I'm done guessing with you and waiting on you to make a move. So I made one of my own," Sam ranted.

"Is that the real reason why you left?" Jack asked as the pieces fell into place.

"Mostly," Sam admitted. "Cassie really does need someone to be there for her right now," she quickly added.

Silence filled the room, as Jack studied his hands. When he spoke, Sam watched how he continued to study his hands, and then his feet, doing everything he could to avoid looking at her. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I thought that it was just me that felt those things and there was no way that I was going to hurt your career by doing anything. If I had known-well, I wouldn't be here." He smiled a little bit, looking up to meet Sam's eyes.

"Where would you be?" she asked, giving him a second chance at the question.

"Probably retired, sitting by a pond in Minnesota," Jack stated to a gaping Sam, "With a really beautiful blonde scientist who would hopefully be my wife by this time. If I was really, really lucky we'd have a kid or two running around. And if by some possibility, all those years on SG-1 hadn't used up all my luck, she'd be willing to let me have a dog too."

Sam once more did thing where she opened and closed her mouth several times without having any words come out. She blinked a couple of times, as if checking to make sure that Jack was really there. She couldn't say anything when Jack continued speaking.

"I've been thinking about retiring an awful lot lately. Finally winning the war means that I can step back and let someone else take over without feeling like I'm letting someone down. Having the rest of my team directly off of the frontlines means that I can worry even less," Jack explained, "But I really don't have a reason to retire or leave unless-"

"There's someone to go home too," Sam completed the thought for him quietly. "At least that's what Dad always said as to why he waited so long to retire. He only retired from the Air Force a year before we became SG-1. It wasn't because he wasn't eligible; it was because he didn't have a reason to go anywhere else but to work every day. If my mom had been alive, I don't think he would have ever made it to General."

"Neither would I if I had done what I should have years ago," Jack agreed.

"What we should have done," Sam corrected. "We should have talked about things a long time ago rather than leaving things unsaid."

"We should have. But we didn't."

"But we can now," Sam said treating Jack to the first smile he had seen all night.

"We could," Jack granted, "Or we could decide that we aren't ever going to talk about our 'feelings' ever again."

Sam glared at him. "You're the one picking, so I suggest you pick well, because I won't be giving you another chance."

Jack swallowed his heart which had somehow worked its way up to his mouth. "I guess we talk then."

Sam looked at him pointedly, indicating that he was going first regardless of what he wanted.

"Can I get a beer?" Jack requested, needing time to collect his thoughts, or to come up with a way out of the discussion.

Sam gave him a look that reminded them both of a teacher who was permitting her students to get away with something-and Sam was telling him that she knew exactly what he was trying to do.

Sam slipped into the kitchen and brought out two beers, one for Jack and one for her. She opened them both and returned to the living room. She handed Jack the beer and sat down next to him.

Jack drank almost the whole beer and began to peel the label from the bottle, staring at it instead of Sam. "When I first met you in the briefing room, I tried so hard not to like you. But you're so damn likeable Sam that I couldn't find a reason not to. I don't know when I first felt something more than just respect and admiration for you, but I do know that I tried to think it was just lust. You're a beautiful woman Samantha, one who deserves to be more than just an Air Force officer. That's why I tried ordering you to get a life so many times."

"And why you wanted me to go fishing with you all the time," Sam added quietly.

Jack looked at the woman next to him for the first time since he started talking and offered her a smirk. "I think we both know now that _fishing_ meant something other than _fishing_."

Sam giggled and laid her head against Jack's shoulder. "But we went fishing," she reminded him, "And there wasn't anything other than fishing going on."

Jack raised his arm to wrap around Sam's shoulders, unsure is she would let him, but she leaned forward to let him slip his arm around her. When she leaned forward, she took both of their empty bottles and set them on the coffee table. Then, she laced her fingers with Jack's.

"That trip wasn't about what I wanted. It was about what you needed, and then about what Cassie needed. Besides, there were always the regs to think about," Jack explained.

"Like the rules have ever stopped us before," Sam commented.

Jack looked down to see the seriousness of her expression. "I'll break rules to do my job, but not for things like having a personal relationship with my 2IC."

Sam shook her head. "You were always so honorable about that kind of stuff. It was always you that endured all the pain on missions, you that took the heat when things went wrong."

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "I just want to see you happy. If that's with Paul or someone else, I'll be okay, as long as you can tell me that you'll be happy."

"Pete," Sam corrected. "His name is Pete. And I'm not seeing him anymore. Turns out that he wasn't my type."

"Your type?" Jack asked. "You have a type."

Sam smiled. "Oh yeah. Usually military, must look good in a uniform, has a great sense of humor, can make me smile, generally older than me, and loves me unconditionally-especially considering what I do for a living."

"How much older?"

"I have this thing for a guy with gray hair."

Jack's eyebrows rose as he looked at the blonde that was carefully tucked into his side. "Really? That's funny because I've always had a thing for blondes. Lately though, it's been all about this particular blonde. I guess I'm too stupid to see it though because another woman who I was seeing at the time had to point it out to me."

"Kerry?"

"Oh yeah," Jack confirmed. "She pretty much told me to retire and run the SGC as a civilian."

"And you didn't do that because…"

"Because I was scared," Jack admitted. "I could handle watching you marry another man, but there was no way that I would be able to stand it if you rejected me-which is what I had managed to convince myself you would do."

Sam looked at Jack, turning her body so that she could face him. "If you had done something, given me a clue as to what you were feeling, you never would have doubted your feelings." Sam pulled his head down to meet her lips and she kissed him. She could feel the surprise that her actions caused until Jack relaxed and started kissing her back.

When they pulled apart, gasping for air, Sam was sure that her face showed just how pleased she was with herself. Jack was still trying to recover from being kissed by Samantha Carter, when Sam reached over, grabbed the TV remote, and focused all of her attention on the show.

"Aren't you going to say something?" Jack asked, looking at the woman who had placed her feet in his lap, choosing to stretch out over the couch.

Sam looked at him and then looked at the television. "Nope," she said and turned her attention back to the TV.

"You aren't going to say anything at all?" Jack asked again, incredulously.

"Actions speak louder the words," Sam quoted.

Jack gaped at her and shook his head. She kissed him, and then said some cliché-which he hated-before turning on a science show. What was he supposed to do in response? Talk? They had been talking for at least an hour now, and if Sam had wanted to talk, she wouldn't have turned on the television. So Jack leaned back and absently ran his hands over Sam's feet. He tried to get interested in the show, but the whole time, the only thing he could think about was that Sam Carter had just kissed him. How was he supposed to respond to that? So he did what he had been doing for years-nothing.

While Jack was doing all his thinking, Sam was trying to figure out her next move. She really didn't know why she had acted like she had for the last ten minutes.

'I was angry with him for having no clue about my feelings a week ago, and now I've just about jumped into his arms. I have no idea what I'm doing or where this is going,' Sam admitted to herself.

But she knew that she couldn't push things much farther or else Jack would be running out her front door, so she sat back and tried to force herself to watch the documentary on the exploration of space, something she would have found interesting, if not for the fact Jack was currently giving her a foot massage.

It was really dark out, the wee hours of the morning, when Sam found that she could hardly keep her eyes open any longer. She yawned and stretched, moving her feet out of Jack's lap. "I'm going to get a shower and go to bed. Do you want me to show you the guest bathroom?" She asked.

Jack stood up, "Yousurebetcha," he said while yawning and stretching. "I could really use a shower before I turn in for the night. When does Cassie get here?" he asked while the walked down the hallway.

"Sometime tomorrow. She's taking her time driving out from California, stopping to stay at some of her friends from college houses along the way, so she'll call when she is a couple of hours away," Sam explained. "There are towels in the cabinet along with extra shampoo and stuff. How long can you stay for?" she asked.

"I have to be back on Sunday," Jack answered. "Are you okay with me staying here?" he asked.

Sam gave him one of her biggest smiles, the kind that was reserved only for him. "Sure, as long as you are okay with sleeping on the couch tonight. The beds for the guest room don't arrive until tomorrow."

Jack nodded and Sam left him to get his own shower.

Twenty minutes later Sam was standing in front of a closet that would have held the blankets Jack would need-only to find that it was empty. It seemed that Sam hadn't packed the many blankets she thought she had.

Jack walked out of the bathroom to see Sam staring at an almost empty closet. "Something wrong Sam?" he asked, confused as to why she would be looking in an empty closet.

"Kind of," she answered. "I uh, didn't pack as many blankets as I thought I had, so it looks like you'll be sleeping in my bed tonight." Sam quickly turned and walked down the hallway and into her bedroom so that he wouldn't have time to object.

Jack could tell that this whole situation embarrassed her. They had shared close quarters before, but sleeping in the same bed was something totally different. Jack waited a few minutes before going into her room. Sam was already tucked under the covers, facing away from him, with the lights out, just like he expected. Jack quickly stripped down to his boxers, and left his t-shirt on, something that he wouldn't have done if he was at home.

"You know," he said as he slipped under the covers, noticing that Sam was almost, but not quite hugging the edge of the other side of the king size, "Most guys have to wait until the second date to sleep with their girlfriend. I get to do it without ever having taken you out on a date!"

Sam turned around and glared at the man. "Yeah but when most guys say 'sleeping with' they mean something other than sleeping-and sleeping mister, is all that you will be doing with me."

Sam was sure that if she could see Jack's face, she would see that he was pouting.

"Is that like just for tonight or is that forever?" Jack whined.

"Good-night Jack," Sam said, turning around once more to face away from him and ignoring his question.

"Good-night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite," Jack said.

A silence settled between them, but both knew that the other wasn't sleeping yet, so Jack broke the silence. "You don't snore do you?"

"Jack!"

"Or hog all the covers either, because I don't think I could handle either of those. It might ruin the image I have of you," Jack explained, a boyish tone filling his voice.

"I do not snore. I do not hog the covers," Sam insisted.

"Then what do you do when you're cold?" Jack asked.

"Get another blanket."

"But what if you run out of blankets?" Jack asked innocently.

"Jack! I would like to get some sleep tonight and I can't do that with you talking," Sam claimed.

"I just wondered Sam. No need to yell at me or anything. I just have one more thing to say and then I'll shut up," Jack offered.

Sam waited for Jack so continue talking but when he didn't, she relented. "What?" She asked, as she turned around so that she could easily push the man who was getting on her last nerve out of the bed. Sam might love him, but that didn't mean that she was going to make things easy on him.

"I just wanted to say I love you Samantha Carter. Night," Jack said and he turned around so that his back was to Sam now.

Sam sat up in bed, pulling some of the covers away from Jack. "Jonathan O'Neill!"

"What?" Jack teased as he sat up in bed, "I thought you wanted to go to sleep?"

"You don't tell a girl that you love her and then expect her to just go to sleep. It doesn't work that way," Sam explained to him, frustrated at how he was making light of the situation.

"Am I supposed to do something else?"

"Yousurebetcha," Sam answered, right as she captured Jack lips in another kiss, one that he eagerly returned. When the separated, Sam quickly said, "I love you too Jack," as she slid back under the covers, facing away from Jack.

"Hold on!" Jack exclaimed. "I'm not allowed to say 'I love you' and go to sleep but you are? That seems kind of unfair."

"It's one of those rules the women have for men kind of things," Sam explained in a muffled voice as she snuggled under the covers.

"Oh," Jack accepted as he slid under the covers once more, but this time he was facing Sam. In fact, he slid closer to her and draped one arm over her and tried sliding one arm under her, only to meet resistance.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she jumped at the unexpected contact.

"One of those rules that guys have for their girlfriends. Rule number one: After exchanging 'I love you's, the guy is permitted to snuggle in bed with said girlfriend," Jack claimed.

Sam snorted. "I would love to see a copy of those rules."

Jack chuckled, something that Sam could feel as she pressed her body into his. "There aren't that many," he offered. "Rule number two is 'No sex until after the second date'. Finally, there's Rule number three: Guys will offer chocolate and will not mention having sex during 'that time of the month' no matter what."

"Guys only have three rules?"

"They're good rules," Jack insisted.

"They are," Sam agreed.

"So are you going to give me any hints as to how I should go about best following those rules?" Jack asked, hoping that he wasn't being too forward.

Sam lifted her body a little bit so that Jack could get his other arm under her before she answered. "Hmm," Sam thought out loud as she moved around just a little bit to get comfortable. "The first rule is acceptable, especially since I get cold at night and you make a really good bed warmer."

"Hey!"

"The second rule is generally the norm, but our relationship has never been normal. So it could easily be the third or fourth date until that happens," Sam continued as she ignored Jack's objections. "My only hint for rule number three is that I love peanut butter and chocolate, but you already knew that. Anything else you want to know?"

"No, I uh think that was pretty good," Jack managed to stutter out, surprised at the confidence Sam had shown.

"Good," Sam said. "Can I go to sleep now?" she requested.

"Sure," Jack answered as he pulled her just a little bit closer to him. Sam sighed contentedly as she closed her eyes, and the two of them drifted off to sleep.

----


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Sam woke up the next morning to find herself in a position that would have concerned her just a few days ago, but it felt right to find herself enfolded in a Jack O'Neill embrace, with their legs intertwined, and even for one of his hands to have found their way under the tank top that she was wearing. Sam knew that he knew she was awake, because his fingers that had been tracing circles in a small area that was slightly above the waistband of her shorts, but way below where her bra would be if she was wearing one, began to slowly creep upward, something the she trusted he would never do while she was sleeping.

"Don't even think about," she warned him.

Jack's hand stopped moving upward as he quickly snatched it out from under her clothing. Sam quickly untangled her body from Jack and the bedding and made her way to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door firmly behind her.

A few minutes later she emerged to find Jack sitting up on her newly made bed. He looked worried, which worried Sam.

"I'm sorry for pushing things farther than you wanted them to go. You know I'd never do anything without making sure you were okay with it first right?" he asked, and received a simple nod in response. "If you're not comfortable sleeping with me, I understand-"

Sam cut him off before he could say anything else. "Jack, I trust you. I love you. And that means if I ever thought you were pushing things too far I would tell you to stop and because of who you are, you would. So you better not be making plans to sleep anywhere else tonight but in my bed, or else."

"Or else what?"

"Or else you'll never find out if rule number two is true," Sam answered with a wicked gleam in her eye as she led the way to the kitchen for breakfast.

It took a few seconds for things to click in Jack's head, but when they did a smile grew on his face as he followed Sam to the kitchen.

----

Cassie arrived in time for lunch, and greeted Sam and Jack in a spectacular fashion, giving both of them huge hugs. After they unloaded the boxes from her car, they left her at the house with instructions on where the various furniture and mattresses needed to go once they arrived.

Meanwhile, Sam and Jack went shopping.

Well they tried to go shopping. They managed to pick up some groceries and were headed to the store to get bed linens for the two guest beds when Sam's cell phone rang.

"Carter," she answered.

Sam listened to the voice on the other end of the phone tell her about a problem they were having that she had to solve-right now. Sam hung up the phone, pulled into the nearest parking lot, and turned the car around so that she was heading towards the base, specifically the secure area where the new X-303 was being built.

"You get away from the SGC, where they couldn't live without you, only to come here and they can't live without you either?" Jack teased as she drove up to the main gate, the first security checkpoint. Both of them pulled out military IDs which were closely inspected, Jack's more so than Sam's since she was becoming a regular at their base.

Sam glared at Jack the whole time this process went on as she drove to the next gate. Here she was met by an Airman who opened her car door.

"Colonel Carter," He greeted her, "I'm supposed to escort you through security." His eyes darted to Jack who was now standing up on the passenger side of the vehicle, the door open, watching the scene overtop of Sam's car. "Will he be coming with us?" the younger man asked.

Sam and Jack's eyes met and they carried out a silent conversation. "He'll be leaving," Sam stated as Jack made his way around the front of the car. Sam handed him the keys and a credit card. Jack took the keys but refused the credit card. "I got it Carter," he insisted. "This way I can find sheets that I'll actually like rather than us guys ending up sleeping in something pink or purple like you would pick out."

"Just for your information sir," Sam said in a low voice, "I hate pink and only occasionally like purple."

"Good to know," Jack said to himself as he slid behind the wheel of Sam's car and watched her walk into the facility that housed the new X-303.

Meanwhile, Sam was being escorted on board the new ship.

It didn't take long at all to fix the problem. A new subroutine added to the ship's programming and everything was working just the way it was supposed to be.

By the time Sam got back to the surface, where her cell phone would work again, it was too late to do any more work at her house. She opened it up to call Jack, only to see him sitting on the hood of her car in the parking lot, waiting on her.

Sam signed out with the security people as Jack approached. "Did you save the world today?" he teasingly asked.

"Not today. Today I kept our newest spaceship from suffering a power overload-something that could cause the ship to lose shields at crucial moments," Sam explained.

"Oh," Jack nodded, glad that she hadn't used big words to tell him that. "But that's an almost 'save the world' thing right?"

Sam shook her head as she got in the passenger seat. "Only you would keep track of 'potential saves'."

That evening, Sam, Jack, and Cassie managed to put some of the furniture together, though Sam intentionally left the beds in the guest room for last. When it came time for bed, Cassie, the ever observant teenager asked, "Sam, where is Jack going to sleep tonight?"

"Yeah Sam, where am I sleeping tonight?" Jack questioned way too innocently.

Sam knew that Cassie was digging and that Jack was setting her up, so she said the only thing she could think of. "Same place he slept last night," she answered as she walked out of the room, leaving Cassie and Jack to finish the discussion. Sam could hear them talking as she walked towards her bedroom.

"Really?" Jack said, slightly surprised. "Sweet!"

"Uncle Jack," Cassie asked sweetly, "Where did you sleep last night?"

Cassie came in a few minutes later, a huge grin on her face. "So you and Jack huh? I'm so happy for you," the young girl exclaimed as she crushed her 'aunt' in a hug.

"You're okay with it?" Sam asked.

"Totally," Cassie assured her. "I'm just glad my bedroom is on the other end of the house."

"Cassie!" Sam squealed.

"Hey," Cassie said as she raised her hands, "You're both adults and can do whatever you want. All I ask is that you give me the same latitude in my relationships."

Sam snorted. "You realize that I won't have a problem with that, but Jack will."

"Jack will what?" Jack asked as he walked into the room and put his hands on Sam's shoulders.

"Nothing," Cassie quickly insisted before she skipped from the room.

"Are you going to tell me what the two of you were talking about?" Jack asked as his hands moved down Sam's back and tried to get under her shirt, but Sam just batted them away.

"Nope," Sam said as she kissed him, knowing that would keep him from asking any more questions. Sam pulled away sooner than Jack would have liked and went into the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind her, but she could still hear Jack's groan through the door.

Sam knew what Jack wanted, and it was what she wanted to, but there was no way she was going to rush things like she had with Pete. Besides, she wanted Jack to take her out on at least one date first.

When she opened the door to the bathroom, Sam found Jack already in bed. Sam quickly got under the covers and snuggled up to him. "Have I told you how much I love you today?" Sam asked.

"Maybe," Jack replied, "But things like that do wonders for a guy's ego. So feel free to tell me any time you want."

"I love you."

"I love you too," Jack said, wrapping his arms around Sam and kissing her head.

----

Monday morning, Cassie and Sam went to the base together. Cassie was going to spend a few days a week interning at the infirmary on the base-the one that dealt with the classified material that she was already cleared to see. They cleared the first gate with no problems, but at the second security checkpoint, Sam and Cassie were both met by Airmen.

"Colonel Carter," the Lieutenant said, "I'm here to escort you to see General Smith."

While Sam was unsure why the General would need to see her, she followed the Lieutenant after making sure Cassie would be all right. Sam figured that if the way Cassie was looking appreciatively at the young Air Force officers was hint as to how the summer was going to go, Cassie would be just fine.

Sam stood at attention in the General's office as he looked at her.

"Colonel, do you know the meaning of the world classified?" the man asked.

"Yes sir," Sam answered, having no idea why this man would be asking such a question.

"Then why did I receive a report that you were discussing classified information with a civilian Saturday night?" the man demanded.

Sam replayed the events of Saturday evening in her mind and failed to find any events that matched what the man was accusing her of. "Sir, I'm afraid that I have no idea what you are talking about. I have never revealed classified information to a civilian without authorization from a superior officer."

"Colonel Carter," the man barked, "I have two eyewitnesses that say otherwise."

"Then I guess you should check your sources," Sam spat at the man, "sir," she added belatedly.

A laugh came from the phone on the General's desk. "Colonel Carter, you've spent too much time with Jack O'Neill-you're even starting to sound like him," General Hammond's voice lightly reprimanded.

"General Hammond, I didn't realize that you were listening in sir," Sam claimed, a slight blush creeping onto her face.

"Its fine Colonel," Hammond said. "It was meant as a compliment. Jack O'Neill is one of the finest officers I've ever had serve under me. I wouldn't mind having a couple more like him. Not a million but one or two more and I think we'd all be better off."

"If you say so sir," the Smith relented.

"I do," Hammond ordered. "Sam can you tell me with full confidence that this report is bogus?"

"Yes sir. I did discuss classified information with a couple of people Saturday evening, but both of them have the necessary security clearance," Sam assured him.

"That's good enough for me," Hammond said. "I presume that these accusations will be dropped Marcus?"

"Yes sir," the General answered.

"Good," Hammond said before hanging up the phone, having more important things to do than worry about Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter handing out classified information.

General Smith glared at the woman in front of him, who refused to let herself flinch under his gaze. "I don't know what you did to gain General Hammond's respect like that, but I'll be watching you."

"Watch all you want," Sam said confidently before turning on her heels and leaving the General's office, without being dismissed, something that Jack O'Neill had done many times throughout his career.

----

Sam and Jack talked on the phone quite often, almost every evening in fact. Often their discussions included the topic of work, and the misadventures that their jobs created. Sometimes their conversations would drift to their pasts as they recalled missions together. Only once had Jack spoke of their future, and even that time it had been in the abstract. One thing was a constant though-their time talking only affirmed how deep their feelings ran. It had been over a week since they had seen each other when Jack asked the question Sam knew was coming.

"How are we going to see each other?" Jack asked one evening.

"I could install a web camera and we could-"

"I mean like physically be in the same room. Like so I could take you out on a date," Jack quickly explained.

"You only want to do that for what happens after the second date," Sam joked.

"Saaaam," Jack pleaded.

"Umm. This weekend is out. I have a couple of briefings to give about the technology going into new ship, starting tomorrow and lasting until Monday. How about the weekend after that?" she asked.

"Me visiting you or you visiting me?" Jack asked.

"Me visiting you," Sam clarified.

Jack made a big show of checking his schedule. "Hmm, I think I can pencil you in," he claimed. "Maybe we could make it a long weekend, you know come up for some work on the gate or something," Jack suggested.

"No," Sam insisted.

"No?"

"No," Sam repeated, "I don't want people to talk."

"They've been talking for years Carter," Jack reminded her.

"Only this time it would be true, and I won't do that to either of us," Sam claimed.

Sam knew Jack was nodding at her words. "Whatever you want Sam," he agreed, knowing that she had way more to lose than him.

"I'll see you next weekend then," she confirmed.

"Yousurebetchya," Jack responded, a grin on his face, because he knew when the next time he would see Sam was.

----


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The next morning came and Sam was in her lab, putting the finishing touches on her presentation when a very familiar voice interrupted her.

"You never call, you never write," Daniel Jackson said, making use of an old Jack O'Neill line.

"Daniel," Sam exclaimed as she got up and hugged her friend, "I didn't know you were coming here."

"Jack didn't tell you?" Daniel asked in disbelief.

"No, Jack didn't say anything," Sam answered as she collected the files she would need and led the way down the hallway to the conference room she would be using for the first briefing.

"So it's Jack now?"

Sam kept looking straight ahead. "Jack at home, General at work," Sam explained.

"Uh-hu," Daniel acknowledged, "So I'm guessing that you talked to the General last?" he asked as he held the door open for her.

Sam looked at him questioningly as she walked through the door, but didn't have the chance to respond as she took in the number of brass waiting on her.

Seated around the conference room table was General Smith, wearing his usual a sour expression, General Hammond, General Maynard, Lt. Colonel Paul Davis, and at the very end, General Jack O'Neill.

Sam quickly saluted the superior officers, hoping that they would forgive her for wearing her BDUs while the rest were in their dress blues. Daniel took the only open seat next to Jack.

"Sirs," Sam greeted them, "I thought I was briefing some new engineers today."

"I'm afraid that the change is my fault Colonel," Maynard explained, "My schedule changed so we had to move the briefings around. I was supposed to spend the weekend out here, and instead will only be available for today. I trust that General Smith will make you available for giving tours of the new ship this afternoon?"

"Colonel Carter is quite busy sir," Smith quickly stated, but when Maynard and Hammond both gave him glares, he quickly changed his mind. "But I'm sure that she wouldn't mind making time to show you the new ship."

Sam took over from there, getting into the technology of the ship. She emphasized the improvements over the Prometheus in everything from weaponry to safety features. Her audience hung on her every word (even Jack), occasionally asking questions which she was mostly able to answer, a few she admitted were not her area of expertise, but she wrote them down, and promised that she would find out the answers before they left.

When she reached the end of her presentation, General Maynard looked around the table and received nods from all those present, indicating that they were well informed and content with everything she had said.

"Anything else you need for us to know Colonel?" the man asked.

Sam paused before speaking, weighing her words carefully. "No disrespect intended Generals, but I would suggest changing into some BDUs and different shoes. There is still some construction going on and I don't think you would appreciate getting grease and dirt all over your uniforms."

Maynard nodded his head in agreement. "That's sound advice. Dismissed for lunch. Report to the first security gate at the entrance to the ship bay at 1300 hours," he ordered.

Smith made a beeline for Maynard, while the rest of the group converged on Jack and Daniel.

"General Hammond, General O'Neill," Sam greeted the two men with a smile before turning to the third officer in the group. "Paul, congratulations on the promotion," she acknowledged the change of insignia on his uniform.

The officer shrugged off her praise, "I've never saved the world or anything."

"You've always had our backs with the paper pushers," Jack claimed as he clapped the man on the shoulder, "Anyone who can do that deserves a promotion and a medal."

Laughter from everyone present was taken as an agreement with that statement.

Sam directed all of them to a locker room to a Lieutenant, who seemed dazed to be in the presence of so many men with high ranks, to get changed into BDUs, thinking that Jack and Daniel would probably be more relaxed and comfortable out of the dress uniforms and suits they were wearing. While they changed, Sam made a quick side trip to her lab to get rid of her now unneeded presentation materials and to relay the questions that she had been unable to answer to several of the X-303's systems heads.

She had just finished, when she heard a commotion in the hallway which she had come to associate with Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson arguing.

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not."

"Do too," Jack stated and turned to Sam, "Tell him that I'm right, won't you Carter?"

Sam gave the two of them disproving stares before shaking her head and leading the way down the hallway to the mess hall, all in an attempt to hide her grin.

They sat at an empty table, noticing that Smith and Maynard had found their own table in a corner of the cafeteria. The group had quite a boisterous lunch as each person talked about the latest from their neck of the woods. Daniel did the most talking as he relayed news of his time with Teal'c and his excitement about the upcoming trip on the new ship.

"Speaking of the new ship," Jack began, "Has anyone thought up a name for it yet? I'm suggesting the Enterprise."

Groans came from everyone at the table. "Sir, I just don't think we could do that," Sam explained, "Besides the name has already been picked. General Maynard is going to reveal it later today."

"But you already know, don't you?" Jack guessed.

Sam just smiled and refused to say anything else on the subject.

By the end of the day, Sam was ready to go home. She was tired of dealing with General Smith who had spent most of the afternoon trying to make it sound like "The Orion" as the new ship was named, was his personal project and he had spent endless hours working on it. And if Sam was reading the rest of the group correctly, she wasn't the only one who was fed up with the man.

It seemed that everyone sighed in relief as General Smith had to leave to take care of some 'urgent' problem. While Daniel, General Hammond, and Colonel Davis excused themselves to change while Jack and Sam were held back by the higher ranking General.

"What do the two of you think of General Smith?" Maynard asked plainly.

"He has a different way of doing things," Jack said diplomatically.

"Colonel Carter?"

Sam followed Jack's example. "I agree with General O'Neill. General Smith definitely had a unique style of command."

"Off the record?" Maynard requested.

"Not someone I would want to serve with," Jack stated. "Takes credit for things he didn't do and doesn't understand, which is the easiest way to get someone killed, especially with what we deal with."

Sam nodded her agreement. "Is there a reason you're asking sir?"

"General Hammond has received several reports that Smith isn't the kind of man we want in charge of this facility. After today's…events, I'm inclined to agree with him," Maynard stated. "Would you mind having a new CO Colonel?"

"No sir," Sam answered happily, the idea of getting rid of Smith appealing to her.

"George has questioned if Smith might be working for some of the SGC's enemies, and while I don't think that is the case, I'm requesting a weekly report from you Colonel," Maynard ordered, looking at the woman, "On any activities you think are out of line."

"Sir," Sam started to object.

"Carter," Jack warned, "He's not ordering you to spy on the man. Just keep an eye out for anything wrong."

General Maynard nodded his head in agreement, knowing better than to argue with the other General. "Consider it a favor to me Colonel. Can I count on you?" he asked.

"Yes sir," Sam assured him.

"I'm sure you have some suggestions for people that would be good for the position Jack. Send Hammond an e-mail and we'll start looking," Maynard ordered before leaving the two of them alone in the hallway.

"How about we go home," Sam suggested.

"We have to get Daniel and say good-bye first," Jack reminded her.

So they said good-bye to General Hammond and Colonel Davis, both of whom were flying back to D.C. that afternoon. Daniel would also be flying back to Colorado Springs later that night, but he had time to eat with the two of them and Cassie first.

Jack and Sam collected Daniel along with Jack's luggage and headed for the house that Sam and Cassie now shared.

"Cassie," Sam called as soon as she unlocked the front door, "I'm home and I brought a couple of guests."

"Okay," Cassie called from the back of the house. "I'll be out in a minute."

"Just follow the music," Jack instructed Daniel as he heard the blaring sounds of the latest band blaring from the stereo in Cassie's room.

Jack waited until Daniel was out of sight before pulling Sam into a fierce hug and kissing her on the lips. They parted and Jack said, "I've been waiting to do that all day."

Jack looked up over Sam's shoulder to see a very pleased Cassie standing there with a Daniel who looked like his eyes were about to pop out of his head.

"When did this happen?" Daniel demanded.

"After Sam's transfer," Jack stated, like it was an obvious fact.

"About damn time," was all Daniel could say as him and Cassie went to the kitchen to rustle up some dinner.

----

That evening, Cassie offered to take Daniel to the base so he could catch his plane back to Colorado Springs. Sam was pretty sure that Cassie wanted to give her and Jack some alone time, but Sam wasn't going to object at all.

So they lay out on a blanket and under a blanket, looking at the stars.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Sam asked.

"I wanted to surprise you," Jack answered, the smile evident in his voice. "Cassie knew I was coming," he added.

"She did?"

"You didn't honestly think that I would just show up without making plans did you? Cassie is gone for the weekend, and I don't leave until Monday evening, barring any planetary emergencies. So tomorrow night I'm going to take you out on a date. Cassie suggested a nice restaurant, and I made the reservation. I was hoping you'd be okay with that?" Jack said, clearly worried about what Sam would think.

Sam gave Jack a kiss, "Sounds great," she claimed.

"Are you sure?" he asked, "Not to put you off of the idea, but you know people will talk if we go out together?"

"Let them talk," Sam assured him, "We're not doing anything wrong."

"But that isn't what people will think," Jack reminded her.

Sam sat up and turned so that she was looking down at Jack. "If it worries you so much what people will think, then why are you here?" she questioned. When Jack didn't reply, Sam got up and stalked into the house.

Jack knew he had screwed up somehow, though he wasn't sure how, but he did know that he needed to apologize and the sooner the better.

So Jack went into the house and found Sam in her bathroom.

"I'm sorry," Jack said.

Sam looked at his reflection in the mirror. "Do you have any idea why I'm upset?"

"Not a clue," Jack admitted, having the guts to admit he didn't.

The confused expression on Jack's face was too much for Sam. She could stay mad at someone who looked so cute when he was confused. "You look cute when you're confused," Sam said as she turned around.

"I do?"

"Yeah you do," Sam repeated and leaned up to kiss him on the lips. "Let me worry about what people will think about me. You should be the one worrying about how to keep me happy."

"I can do that," Jack smiled as he kissed her again.

Jack worked his hands around to her back, and under her shirt. He felt the soft skin there, and his hands began to creep higher as they found their way around to her stomach.

Sam realized where Jack was headed, and it wasn't somewhere she wanted to go just yet. Quickly, Sam batted Jack's hands away. "Stop," she commanded him, and Jack did. Sam quickly pushed past Jack and got into bed. Jack soon joined her, though he didn't pull her into his arms, instead choosing to stay on his side of the bed like he had the first night.

"I'm not mad at you Jack," Sam promised as she turned to face him.

"That's good," Jack said as he reached out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I love you," he reminded her.

"I know."

"And I don't want to go any farther than you're ready to go. As long as I get to hold you in my arms every night, I'll be happy," Jack promised. "When or if you're ever ready to something more, I guess I'm saying that I'm ready."

"You're a guy," Sam reminded him, "You were born ready for this kind of thing." She kissed him, letting him pull her into his arms.

When a lack of air finally caused them to break apart, both Sam and Jack were smiling.

"Go to sleep General, we both have an early morning tomorrow," she ordered, placing her head against Jack's shoulder, and closing her eyes.

Jack watched her fall asleep, and relaxed. He was trying so hard not to move too fast for Sam, but at the same time, they had both waited for so long that he didn't want to wait very long. Jack had bought an engagement ring years ago, and no matter how much he wanted to ask her right now, he knew how that would look. And even if Sam claimed she wasn't worried about what people might think, Jack was. He could wait until he was sure Sam was ready for that big of a change in her life and it was clear to most people that they had never had a relationship before her transfer.

Jack lay awake a long time that night, watching Sam sleep, wondering what he had done to deserve having such a wonderful, smart, beautiful woman in his life.

----


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The following afternoon's briefing went off without a hitch. Sam gave the same presentation as she had the previous day, this time to General John Jumper, the head of the Air Force, and several higher ranking officers, all of whom had flight experience and were being considered for command of the new ship and various other command assignments on board the ship.

Jack sat patiently through the presentation again, even if it was geared slightly different this time, it was still the same information from the day before. This time though, Jack was busy observing the other men in the room. General Hammond had requested that Jack try to feel out these men, to see if any of them would fit in at the SGC, the Alpha and Beta site, on board the new X-303s, and at Area 51. It seemed that Jack's gut instinct had proven itself in the past for hunting out good officers.

Today was no exception, as Jack had already noted that one of the officers had been hitting on Sam all morning, despite her repeated attempts to avoid the man. A man that acted that way had no place commanding anyone if Jack had any say in things.

The most promising of the group was the recently promoted Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell. The man was not quite ready for the field, but his lack of a limp indicated that his time was coming. Mitchell had expressed an interest in being on SG-1, and today, Jack was going to have to break it to him that SG-1 was no more.

Jack thought that Mitchell took the news rather well, though his disappointment was evident.

"I can offer you a position at the SGC on a field team, after you complete the appropriate training of course," Jack offered.

"I'd like that sir," Cam had replied. "If for some reason, SG-1 reforms, can I have your assurance that I will at least be considered for a position on SG-1."

Sam had taken a liking to the other officer almost instantly. "I hope we never have to do that Cam. Only a galactic emergency could get us all back together," Sam claimed.

"But I'll personally make sure that you are considered," Jack promised.

Jack assurances seemed to make the news a little less painful for Cam, who left soon after.

"You know," Sam said as she watched the other Colonel leave the room, "I don't know how we would have made it work, but I think Cam would have been the perfect fourth member for SG-1."

Jack looked at her. "I hope we never have to test that theory," he whispered.

----

That evening, Sam threw Jack out of her room so that she could get ready for their date without interruptions. Jack left with little fuss, and slightly over an hour later, he knocked on the door to her room, calling, "If you don't hurry up Sam, we're going to be late for dinner!" Receiving no answer he raised his hand to knock again, only to have the door swing open.

Sam stood there is a dark blue dress that caused her to look like she was glowing. The dark blue made her eyes sparkle even more and the amount of skin the spaghetti strapped dress revealed made Jack speechless, something that made Sam Carter proud.

Jack planted a kiss on Sam's cheek and then offered his arm to her. "You look…amazing Sam," he finally managed to say as he led her to his rental car.

"You clean up pretty well yourself," Sam replied, admiring the dark suit and tie that Jack had put on.

They made it through dinner, carrying on a light conversation. After they declined dessert, as the restaurant didn't serve blue Jell-O or chocolate cake, Jack stood up and held out his hand, "May I have this dance?" he asked.

Sam smiled and took his hand, allowing him to lead her onto the dance floor.

Sam enjoyed the feeling of being in Jack's arms, and found herself comparing him to Pete. With Jack, she had no problem resting her head against his shoulder, nor having to worry about wearing the heels that would have made her tower over Pete.

Jack interrupted her thoughts with a question, one that put a gleam in his eyes. "Something has been bugging me all evening," he whispered in Sam's ear, "Are you wearing a bra with that dress?"

Sam dissolved in giggles, burying her mouth in Jack's jacket to muffle the sound. When the giggles finally subsided, she looked at Jack. "You'll have to take it off of me to find out," she said saucily and proceeded to walk away from Jack, and towards the door of the restaurant, never even turning around to see if Jack was following her.

It only took a few seconds for Jack to rush off after her, a huge grin on his face.

----

Jack O'Neill practically pushed Sam through the front door, though he did take the time to lock it after him. He turned around to find a slightly smiling Sam. "We don't have to do this," Jack offered, seeing the nervous expression on Sam's face.

"We don't have to do anything," Sam assured him, "But I want to do this."

"Why now?" Jack couldn't stop himself from asking as he ran his thumb over Sam's cheek.

Sam covered Jack's hand with her own hand. "Because I wanted to wait and make the first time special, and without having to worry about keeping it quiet."

"Oh," Jack said, raising his eyebrows, "So if Cassie were here?"

"This wouldn't happen until next weekend," Sam finished for him as she took his hand and led him to her bed.

----

Jack woke the next morning, totally naked, and totally alone.

He pulled on his boxers but for the life him, could not locate the t-shirt that had been discarded before the second round of love making during the night. He found Sam sitting in the kitchen, wearing his t-shirt.

"I wondered where that shirt went," Jack smiled at her, but quickly turned his expression serious as he noticed the thoughtful expression on her face. "You don't regret last night do you?" Jack asked, suddenly worried.

"Of course not," Sam insisted, a smile now showing on her face. "Why would I?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders, "You weren't there when I woke up."

"Sorry," she apologized, not looking or sounding the least bit sorry. "You were hogging the covers," she complained.

"Sorry," Jack claimed, also not sounding or looking the least bit apologetic.

"No your not," Sam smiled at him.

"You're right," Jack agreed with her. "You love me any ways though."

"Yep."

"Good, then let me make breakfast while you get a shower," Jack offered, "And then we can finish up with General Jumper and get on with enjoying our weekend."

Sam didn't have to be told twice, if Jack wanted to make breakfast, she was more than willing to let him.

----

The rest of the weekend flew by. Actually the next week flew by until it was already Friday and Sam was standing outside of Jack's house in Colorado Springs. An unfamiliar car was parked in front of the house, and Sam wasn't sure if she should go in or just wait until whoever was there left.

Luckily she didn't have to decide as she got out of her borrowed car from the motor pool and saw the front door open.

A blonde woman came out, followed by Jack. She turned around and gave Jack a peck on the cheek and a big hug, one that he willingly returned as he rocked a little on his feet. His eyes met Sam's and he gave her a small embarrassed smile, but he didn't look worried which relieved Sam. Whatever was going on, he didn't feel the need to hide it from her, which meant she would have nothing to worry about-after he explained what was going on!

Sam waited patiently by her car as Jack walked the other woman to the other car and helped her in. He shut the door and watched the other woman drive away. After she was out of sight, Jack continued walking towards where Sam had parked.

"Hey," he greeted her, leaning in for a kiss which Sam returned. "Come on in," he offered, picking up her bag to carry it in for her.

Jack liked the fact that she didn't press for details about who had just been there, thrilled him because it meant that she trusted him. They walked towards the house, Jack's hand on the small of Sam's back.

Sam was silent, not wanting to push for details that he wasn't willing to share.

"If you want to know Sam, all you have to do is ask. If I don't want to talk, I'll tell you," Jack informed her.

Sam was quiet not wanting to press. "I'm trusting you Jack. I honestly think that you've never done anything to hurt me intentionally. You've hurt me and I've hurt you but we've never set out to hurt each other. I've put what has happened in the past, in the past. You don't do well when pushed to talk about things, so I'm going to try hard not to push. You'll talk when you're ready."

Jack was blown away by Sam's words. She knew him so well, better than anyone else he had ever met. Even better than the woman who had just left his house. Jack waited until they were inside his house and cuddling on the couch, Sam's bag had been thrown in Jack's bedroom.

"That woman was Sarah, my ex-wife," Jack explained. "She was dropping off some of Charlie's stuff. She's got remarried a while back to a great guy. I think he does something with real estate. Anyways, he was a widow, three kids, I think. They raised them and became foster parents. The oldest, just told them that she is expecting her first kid, and Sarah is ecstatic. She was going through some stuff and came across some things that were Charlie's. Sarah wanted me to have them."

Sam suddenly saw a box sitting in the corner of the room that she hadn't spotted previously. "Will you tell me about him? Sometime?" Sam softly requested.

"I want to take you somewhere tomorrow," Jack offered, "And after that I'll tell you all about him."

"Okay."

They were standing in the kitchen, making dinner when Jack blurted out, "I told Sarah that I had met someone. She told me she could tell. I seemed happier, more relaxed. Do I seem that different to you?"

"Compared to the Colonel O'Neill I met in a briefing room eight years ago? Most of the time, I wouldn't think you two were the same man," Sam answered truthfully as she set down the knife she was using to cut vegetables. "Especially since we started dating."

Jack turned around and kissed Samantha Carter, "I'm a much happier man since we've started dating. In fact, I overheard a couple of the SFs talking about placing bets with Walter and Siler over why I'm so happy. Seems current odds are best on the commissionary deciding to serve cake 24-7 or that I found someone to do my paperwork for me."

"Maybe I should place my own bet," Sam suggested.

"Oh? And just what would the bet be on?"

"That you've found a woman that loves you-and that you love her back," Sam answered.

"So true," Jack agreed, wrapping his arms around Sam from behind, just because he could.

----

The next morning dawned, and Jack pulled Sam out of bed with a cup of coffee. After she was dressed, he pushed her into his truck and drove her to the cemetery. He parked, and led Sam down a row of head stones to one that said "Charles Jonathan O'Neill".

"He would have been 18 today," Jack said as he gazed down at his son's grave. "He looked so much like me Sam."

"I've seen pictures," Sam reminded him, "He was adorable. Looked like you and if he acted anything like you, I'll bet he was a handful though."

Jack chuckled. "He was great for me, the little bit that I was home for, but Sarah always had wild tales to tell me every time I came home about the stuff he did."

Jack sat down and opened the box that he had carried with him from the truck. Inside Sam could see some pictures, folded papers, and a ball glove, things that had probably been Charlie's. But Jack quickly set the ball glove aside, and went for the pictures and folded sheets of papers. Just like Sam had done with Jacob's things, Jack gave her a running commentary on the pictures and letters that had come from Charlie. It didn't get long to get through all of them. Once through all the pictures, Jack took great care in placing them back in the box and setting the ball glove back on top.

Jack picked the box up, and along with Sam went home.

----

Sam was almost grateful to be leaving come Sunday. Jack had been quiet all weekend, especially after the trip to Charlie's grave. Sam was pretty sure that it had to do with Charlie more than anything else, so she let him wallow in darkness a little bit, but every so often would pull him out of it. She even made chocolate chip cookies, which Jack conveniently seemed to break as he took off the pan. Sam suspected it had to do with his desire to destroy the 'defects' by eating them. That had been the brightest spot of the weekend.

Jack watched as Sam finished packing as she went to zip up her bag, Jack stopped her by putting his hand overtop of her hand. "I know I haven't been the best of company this weekend," he began.

Sam cut him off with words of her own. "You needed your space," she simply stated. "And someone to lean on at times," she reminded him, thinking about the time she had woken up alone in bed to find him in the living room clutching a photo of Charlie with tears streaming down his face. "You were there for me when Dad died, and I'm glad that I could be here when you needed me."

"Always," Jack promised, holding her hands in his as he kissed her and pulled her into a hug. He could feel the ring box that in his pocket, the ring box that held an engagement ring, digging into his side. Ever since the previous weekend, Jack had started to keep the box on hand, carrying it with him everywhere that he went, just so that he could take it out and look at it. He wasn't sure what Sam would think if he just came right out and asked her to marry him. So he was trying to work up the nerve to casually mention something about the future into a conversation, but so far hadn't found the right opportunity.

"I have to go," Sam reminded him, interrupting Jack's thoughts.

"I know," Jack accepted, still not letting go.

"Jack, I love you, and I really would like to stay but if I don't leave in the next five minutes I'll miss my plane," Sam claimed.

"I love you too," Jack said, finally letting go. He picked up her bag and walked her to her car. He watched Sam drive away and stood in the driveway looking in the direction she had driven off in for a long time after she was out of sight.

----

The next two months went much like their first month. Every other weekend, Sam flew to see Jack, and on the other weekends, Jack flew to see Sam. The weekends weren't without occasional calls from work, but things were going well. Really well in fact.

So well that Jack was taking Sam out to the fanciest restaurant in the Colorado Springs area, with the intent of broaching the subject of marriage, byworking in a 'will you marry me?' somewhere before the evening was over.

Unfortunately for Jack, things were not going to go as planned that evening. In fact, that evening would begin the start in a string of things that would go wrong.

They sat down for dinner, and while they waited for their food to arrive, Jack looked into Sam's eyes and stated, "I've been thinking about us."

"Us?"

"Us," Jack repeated, "And where we're headed. I've come to the conclusion that this every weekend thing isn't good enough for me. I want to see you more often than every other weekend. So as soon as I can find someone to take over for me at the SGC, I'm going to retire."

"What?"

"I want to retire," Jack emphasized.

"How would this affect us?" Sam asked, still stunned from his announcement.

"I was hoping that if I retired, you would agree to-" Jack started to say as he reached into his pocket, intent on producing the jewelry box that had been there all evening, only to be cut off by the insistent ringing of his cell phone.

Jack groaned and answered it while Sam smiled at him. They were both cursing whoever was on the other end of the phone for interrupting their dinner, and more important Jack's last sentence.

Jack never got the chance to finish what he was saying, because he hung up the phone and looked apologetically at Sam. "My favorite gray buddy just showed up at the base and is requesting that I join him on a week-long diplomatic trip," Jack explained as he signaled the waitress to cancel their order or to get it to go.

"And he can't wait, right?" Sam finished for him.

"Unfortunately not," Jack confirmed as he helped Sam into her jacket.

They drove to Jack's house mostly in silence, though as they got closer, Jack began issuing instructions. "If you could clean on the fridge before you leave and take out the trash, I'd appreciate it," he instructed.

"Yes sir," Sam answered on reflex, causing them both to grimace.

"I'm not ordering you Sam, I just…"

"I know," Sam assured him, "But for a minute there, it was almost like I was your 2IC again."

"I'm sorry," Jack whispered as he leaned over to kiss her as he came to a stop outside of his house.

"No you're not," Sam said after they parted.

Jack gave her a boyish grin as she got out of his truck. "I love you Sam," he said as she went to shut the door.

"Love you more," Sam insisted right before she closed the door.

"There's no way in hell," Jack said to himself as he drove towards the mountain, "That's possible Samantha Carter."

----


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Since Sam had no reason to remain in Colorado Springs, she caught a hop back to Area 51 that evening. Cassie was surprised to see her, but accepted the fact that Jack had been called 'out of town' on business without any questions.

Early the Monday morning, the phone beside her bed woke Sam up.

"Carter," Sam answered groggily.

"Aunt Sam?" a young boy asked in an obviously scared and worried voice.

"Nate is that you?" Sam asked, recognizing the voice on the other end of the phone as her thirteen year old nephew.

"Aunt Sam," the boy sobbed. Sam could hear the phone falling to the floor.

Quickly, another person picked up the phone. "Ma'am, my name is Officer James Pike of the San Diego Police Department. I'm afraid I have some bad news," the man began.

The news Officer Pike was delivering was anything but good. In fact, by the man's standards, the only news that could possibly be worse was telling a parent that their child was dead, something that he had done before. It didn't make telling this women that her brother and sister-in-law had been killed in a drunk driving accident any easier.

But Officer Pike was impressed at the way the woman handled the situation. The woman on the other end of the phone asked all the right questions, making sure that someone would stay with the two kids until she could arrive, and promised she would be on the next flight out.

----

Sam hung up the phone and quickly grabbed her cell phone. She woke Cassie and told to pack, giving no other explanation, other than to say they were going to San Diego for a while.

Next, Sam called and got herself on the next plane to San Diego. She had to take a civilian flight, but at that point, Sam didn't care.

Then, despite the early hour, Sam called General Hammond at home, because she knew she could count on him to grant her leave without any objections, which he did. He also made her promise to call as soon as arrangements for the funeral had been made and told her to take as long as she needed, that he would personally handle General Smith-who had grown even more hostile towards Sam in recent months-and anyone else with questions. Sam thanked him profusely as she threw items of clothing into a suitcase. She also packed her dress blues, not having anything else that would be suitable to wear to a funeral.

By the time Sam and Cassie got off the plane in San Diego, Sam was exhausted and worried. Sam had no real experience, other than occasionally taking care of Cassie, when it came to kids, and now she had to worry about taking care of two children, by herself.

Not for the first time since the phone call, did she wish that someone was there to help her out. Instead, Jack was off with the Asgard. Daniel was with Teal'c and the free Jaffa, so there was a chance she could get a message to them, but even that was slim. Still, as she walked through the air port, she called the SGC and requested that Walter relay a message that Daniel or Teal'c get in contact with her as soon as possible in regards to a personal matter. As always, Walter didn't ask any questions.

It was shortly after daybreak when Sam pulled into the driveway of the Carter residence. The two Carter children were sobbing as they ran to greet her.

"Aunt Sam," twelve year old Lindsay Carter asked as she wiped tears from her eyes, "What is going to happen to us?"

Sam wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen to the kids. "You'll be okay guys, I promise," she reassured them.

Sam's words seemed to have a calming effect on the two Carter children because they led her into the house with fewer tears then their initial greeting had caused.

The next week was a hell on Earth for Sam.

She made all the arrangements for Mark and Karen's funeral. Despite objections from Karen's parents, Kathy and Jacob Lewis, Sam would not permit Nate and Lindsay to be present for the visiting hours at the funeral home. Sam had her own memories of that time, and none of them were fond.

When the day of the funeral came, Sam was glad for the presence of General Hammond, who flew in from D.C. to express his condolences.

"You call me if you need anything Sam," the man reminded her before he left.

Sam didn't know much of anyone at the funeral except for Pete Shanahan, who became her shadow. She wasn't sure why he stuck so close to her, but the first chance she got, she set him straight.

"Pete," she said, hoping to let him down as softly as possible, "I'm seeing someone else right now. I know now that there is no way that we can be anything more than friends."

Pete stared at her for a few seconds before nodding his head. "I understand. I'm umm seeing my ex-wife again," he admitted. "I think we gave up last time with too little effort."

"I'm glad to hear that," Sam said, giving Pete a genuine smile.

Pete's presence turned out to be a good thing as he stayed to help cleanup the mess left behind by the wake. Cassie had already settled the two children down for the night when she returned to help with the cleanup.

"Sam," Cassie asked, "What's going to happen to Lindsay and Nate?"

Sam looked at her hands for a few minutes before answering. "I'm not sure. It all depends on what Karen and Mark put in their will. And even then I think Karen's parents might contest things if I'm supposed to get custody."

"You already have custody of one minor, so that should work in your favor," Pete pointed out.

Sam shook her head. "I have joint custody with Jack over Cassie, who is no longer a minor. I'm a single woman who works for the Air Force. My job can be dangerous at times and I can be gone for prolonged periods of time."

"But you have lots of friends in Colorado Springs," Pete reminded her. "I'm sure they'd be willing to help out."

Sam looked at her hands again.

"Sam transferred to Nellis a while back Pete," Cassie explained.

"Oh," Pete said as he digested this new piece of information.

"I just want what's best for the kids," Sam claimed, "And I'm hoping that Kathy and Jacob can remember that."

----

Sam tried to keep her brain occupied as she waited for Jack to call her back. She had left several messages on his cell phone, requesting that he call her as soon as he could. When Wednesday, four days after Jack should have been back arrived, and Mark and Kathy's will was to be read, and Sam still hadn't heard from him, she braved a call to his direct line at the SGC. What she got was quite a surprise.

"Landry," a man answered the phone.

"I'm sorry. I must have dialed the wrong number. I was looking for General Jack O'Neill," Sam apologized.

"You dialed the right number," Landry revealed, "But O'Neill has been called to Washington, at the request of the President. I've been left in charge on an indefinite basis. Is there something I can help you with ma'am?"

"No sir," Sam answered before hanging up the phone. Knowing that she could be in San Diego for an indefinite amount of time, and wanting to find out what was going on, Sam called Walter.

Unfortunately, Walter didn't have much additional information, which was an oddity in itself, other than to reveal that he had not returned to the SGC for more than a few minutes after his trip with Thor before Thor had beamed him away to Washington. He also informed her that Daniel and Teal'c had yet to check in, and were not scheduled to do so for another week. Sam informed him that there was no longer a need for Teal'c and Daniel to contact her quickly, just that they call her the next time that stopped by for a visit. She also updated her contact information, so that the SGC could get a hold of her in an emergency situation. In addition, Sam requested that if "General O'Neill contacts you; you ask that he calls me at one of those new numbers." Of course, Walter agreed to do so.

So Sam set about trying to get a hold of Jack in D.C. She tried Hammond's office, figuring the older General would know something, but was told that he was 'unavailable'.

Later that afternoon, Sam listened as a lawyer informed Sam, Kathy, and Jacob that the children's guardian was supposed to be one Jacob Carter, while Sam had been placed in charge of their estate. The shock on everyone's faces was evident and this discovery opened another can of worms for Sam.

Kathy and Jacob made clear their intent to pursue custody of the Carter children. While Sam wasn't sure she wanted to become their guardian, she flat out told them that she wanted what Lindsay and Nathan wanted, which she suspected would be to live with her. Sam knew that Karen and Mark had been on even worse terms with Kathy and Jacob Lewis than with Jacob Carter, and that was saying something!

Sam walked into Mark and Karen's house and was about ready to fall apart, when Pete appeared.

"It will be okay Sam," he promised, wrapping his arms around her in an attempt at comfort.

Sam permitted herself to accept his support before freeing herself from his arms. She quickly collected Lindsay and Nate and took them into her room to talk.

After explaining what the will had dictated, Sam asked, "What do you guys want? I won't be upset if you want to live with your grandparents."

Nate looked slightly worried. "Aunt Sam, are you going to marry Pete?"

"No," Sam assured him. "Pete's just a friend."

"Good," Lindsay said. "We never really liked him."

"Oh," Sam said, slightly confused. "Why is Pete so important?"

Nate looked at Lindsay before explaining. "We want to live with you Aunt Sam and if you were marrying Pete that would mean that he'd be living there too."

"And if he were going to marry me, you might change your mind about living with me," Sam said, understanding perfectly, but realizing how much pressure this would put on her relationship with Jack. If she was forced to choose, Lindsay and Nate would win against Jack, no matter how much it would break her heart to do it.

"You know, Cassie is living with me right now," Sam added, wondering what they would think of that.

Surprisingly, Lindsay smiled. "I like Cassie. I always wanted a big sister!"

Sam looked at Nate, expectantly. "Cassie's kind of cool for a girl," he admitted.

"I do have a boyfriend though," Sam admitted.

"Will he like us?" Lindsay asked worriedly.

"Jack will love you guys," Cassie reassured the two kids from the doorway. "He's the best uncle anyone could ever ask for."

"But what if he doesn't?" Nate wanted to know.

"Then I guess I'd have to find a boyfriend that does," Sam promised, reaching out to tickle her niece.

"Come on you two, off to bed. I think tomorrow, we'll start packing and see about moving the two of you to Nevada with me," Sam claimed.

"Really?" Nate asked, excited at the idea of moving.

"Yousurebetchya," Sam confirmed, smiling in hopes of reassuring the two children.

Sam was lying in bed while Cassie occupied the roll-away in the cramped quarters of the guest room, when Cassie brought up Jack.

"Do you know where Jack is at?" she asked.

Sam shook her head, even if Cassie couldn't see it. "I don't have a clue," she admitted. "No one really seems to know much of anything right now. I'm hoping that he shows up soon though. I'm starting to worry about him. I'm going to make some calls tomorrow, see if I can find out what's going on."

"Did you mean what you told the kids? About how you would be willing to dump Uncle Jack if he didn't get along with them?"

"Yes," Sam admitted hesitantly, "But it would be the hardest thing I've ever done."

"You really love him, don't you?" Cassie asked.

"If he would have asked me to marry him the day after my transfer to Area 51, I probably would have said yes and drug him off to Las Vegas before he changed his mind," Sam claimed, even though she knew neither of them had been ready for that at that time. They had been in the middle of an argument at that point in their 'relationship'.

Cassie giggled at the image that brought to mind. "I don't think that you'd have to drag Uncle Jack anywhere. He's loved you for a long time," Cassie reminded her.

"I know."

----

Sam spent the morning on the phone, still unable to locate Jack. Though she did get someone in General Hammond's office to admit that he had been in D.C., though the secretary couldn't or wouldn't tell her where he was now, Sam wasn't sure which. She also talked to several lawyers, some military, some not, all who pretty much told her the same thing.

The most difficult part of the morning came when Kathy and Jacob arrived. Sam welcomed them into the living room and brought out drinks, playing the gracious host. Sam sent Pete, who had been sleeping on the couch for the past couple of days so that he could help out, with Cassie, Nate, and Lindsay to the park, despite objections that they wanted to stay.

"Samantha," Kathy began, "We really think it would be best if the children came to live with us. You'd be welcome to visit at any time."

"Nate and Lindsay are old enough to choose for themselves," Sam started, hoping to avoid upsetting anyone. "The lawyers that I've talked to said that in cases like these, as long as the children are of an age where they can choose, and that relative would be considered acceptable by the courts, the children's wishes are upheld."

Jacob Lewis snorted. "Acceptable? I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen your father in the past ten years. And the same pretty much goes for you Ms. Carter. I have no idea what Karen was thinking when she named him Nathan and Lindsay's guardian! Last I heard from Mark and Karen you were doing classified work for the Air Force. I doubt you have the means to take care of two kids, especially teenagers, let alone the time to do it, considering all the hours you must put in. And you'd be a single parent to top it off. Kathy and I are retired and well off. We would have no problems taking care of the children."

She opened her mouth to say something she would regret later, only to have the doorbell ring. Sam excused herself and went to the door, to find a slightly scruffy looking Daniel Jackson standing there.

Without words, Daniel stepped up and pulled her into his arms, wrapping her up tight in a hug. "Cassie told me everything," he whispered into her ear, "I'm sorry I wasn't here, again."

"It's okay," Sam assured him as she slipped out of his arms. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you for at least a week. Walter said that's when your next check-in was."

Daniel looked slightly guilty. "Walter must have passed word to someone that you needed to talk to me, because someone insisted that my expertise was required on a translation ASAP. But when I got back to the SGC, all I had was a message to call you and one to call Cassie. I called Cassie and got on the next plane here. That's pretty much the story. How are you?" He asked, concerned about Sam's wellbeing.

"As good as I can be, given the circumstances," Sam claimed. "Cassie's been a big help with Nate and Lindsay."

"She always wanted to be a big sister," Daniel said with a smile.

"We'll take you to court to get custody of the kids," Kathy said from the doorway.

"Then I guess I need to get a lawyer then," Sam said, "Because if Lindsay and Nate want to live with me, I'll do whatever it takes to get custody of them."

Sam glared at Kathy, Kathy glared at Sam, Jacob glared at Daniel, and Daniel looked at Sam in awe, suddenly seeing a new side to her.

"We'll be in touch," Jacob said as he walked at the door, his arm around Kathy.

"Well that was interesting," Daniel observed.

"You have no idea," Sam agreed and proceeded to sit on the front steps and tell him all about the past few weeks, Mark and Karen's sudden death, Jack's disappearance, and the fact that she would hopefully be taking custody of the two Carter children.

"Wow!" Daniel exclaimed when she finished. He didn't get the chance to say more though, because Pete, Cassie, Nate, and Lindsay were coming back from the park.

Nate and Lindsay rushed into the house, arguing about who was going to use which bathroom.

"So?" Pete asked expectedly.

"Know any good lawyers?" Sam joked. "Kathy and Jacob are not just going to let me have custody of their grandchildren without a fight. God! I wish Jack were here right now!"

"How do you not know where Jack is? I thought he was a General now and didn't go out in the field very much?" Pete questioned.

"Hey! Don't look at me," Daniel was quick to say when Pete looked at him, expecting an answer. "I just got back. I'll see what I can do about finding him," he promised pulling out his own cell phone and going into the house to make the calls.

Cassie followed him, leaving Pete and Sam alone.

"I'm leaving," Pete said. "Now that Daniel's here, I need to get back to work before they forget how good I am at my job," he joked. "Take care of your self Sam," he said, giving her a peck on the cheek. "If you need any help at all, give me a call. I hope that we can be friends."

"I'd like that," Sam admitted. "Thank you for everything. I don't think I could have gotten through these last few days without you and Cassie."

Pete gave Sam a small smile. "You're stronger than you think Sam. Tell O'Neill that he'd better take care of you or I'll, well I'm not sure what I'll do to him," Pete laughed as he realized he didn't know what to threaten an Air Force General, who was former black-ops and traveled to other planets with.

"I'll tell him," Sam promised. "Thank you," she said again, leaning in to give him one more kiss.

Pete nodded and walked away to his own rental vehicle. Because of the way the house was built, Sam saw Pete disappear around the corner, but didn't see him stop and talk to a man dressed in an Air Force uniform, with his jacket slung over his arm. Instead, she went into the house, intent on seeing if Daniel had found her elusive boyfriend yet.

----


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"General O'Neill," Pete greeted the man in a respectful tone.

"It's Pete, right?" Jack said, holding out his hand for the man to shake, though he was concerned about what Sam's ex-fiancé was doing coming out of her brother's house.

"Yeah. Sam's inside," Pete offered, "And I think that she really needs you right now."

"We never-" Jack started to say.

"I know," Pete stated simply. "And I'm actually glad that Sam stopped us from making a huge mistake. I'm back with my ex-wife now," Pete admitted, an embarrassed smile on his face.

"Is she okay?" Jack asked, using his head to indicate the house and the woman inside it.

"Now that you're here? She'll be fine. She was really worried about you," Pete reminded him.

"I'm sure," Jack sighed. "Thank you for being there for her when I wasn't. I know that I was an ass to you back then, but I'm hoping that you won't hold that against me."

"If you'll do the same for me," Pete offered.

Jack nodded his head in agreement and watched the younger man walk away. He almost shook his head in disbelief at Pete's words. The man had literally thanked him for breaking up his engagement with Sam. Thinking about Sam, Jack turned to the house, knowing that the next few days would either make or break his relationship with her, especially considering the possibility that she would have some new responsibilities after this most recent tragedy.

Jack rang the doorbell to the Carter household. Within seconds, a pounding set of footsteps could be heard scrambling, growing louder as they approached the door. The door was pulled open with a great deal of effort to reveal a boy of about twelve or thirteen, by Jack's estimate.

"Hi," Jack said, trying to look as unimposing as possible. "Is Sam Carter here?"

"Yep," the boy said, trying not to be in awe of the man who stood before him.

"Any chance I could come in and see her?" Jack prodded the boy.

"Sure," the boy replied as he stood to the side so that Jack could come in.

The boy swung the door shut. "I'm Nate by the way. Aunt Sam was in the den with Cassie and another guy. I think Cassie said his name was Daniel," Nate explained as he led the way to the den. "Anyways, she closed the door and said we couldn't come in and not to interrupt."

"Oh," Jack said, figuring that they were probably discussing some classified information.

"Are you coming to take Aunt Sam away," Nate asked, as he turned to look at the older man, who was now sitting on a couch in the living room, "Because I don't want to live with Grandma and Grandpa."

"No, I'm not taking your Aunt away unless you get to come with her," Jack promised, knowing this was the best way to reassure the boy. "Don't you have a sister?" he asked, wanting to see the other Carter child.

"Yeah, she's probably in her room or something. She cries a lot. I think she misses mom and dad," the boy confided in her.

"Do you miss them?"

"Yeah," the boy said quietly, looking at the floor. "But guys aren't supposed to cry."

"Hmm. Come here," Jack said, patting the couch cushion next to him. "You know I thought the same thing for a long time. I was even older than you when I figured out that crying doesn't make you weak, not showing emotions is what makes you weak. Your aunt is one of the strongest people I know, guy or girl, but I bet you've seen her cry, haven't you?"

Nate nodded, tears already starting to form in his eyes. "I just miss them so much," the boy sobbed as Jack pulled him into his lap.

"I know," Jack whispered as he rubbed the boy's back.

Seconds later, Jack felt the presence of someone else in the room, and turned his head to see a little girl. Jack motioned with his head for her to come into the room, and she scrambled over the back of the couch and looked expectantly at him. Jack quickly shifted Nate to make room for the much smaller girl, who Jack thought to be ten or eleven, judging by her size. Jack slung an arm around her, as she rested her head in Nate's lap.

Once her waterworks ended, she looked at him confused. "Who are you?" she asked, in a voice filled with confidence.

"Jack O'Neill. I know Sam, Cassie, and Daniel," Jack explained.

"Oh," the girl said as she tried to connect the dots. "Cassie's Uncle Jack?"

"Yousurebetchya," Jack confirmed which made the girl giggle, one that sounded much like Sam's giggle, which made Jack smile. "What's your name?" he asked.

"I'm Lindsay," the girl said, smiling at him through tear stained cheeks.

Jack's stomach choose that time to grumble, reminding him that he really needed to eat, which made both of the Carter children giggle. "I guess I'm kind of hungry," Jack claimed. "How about I order pizza," he suggested.

The nods he received from both kids told him that they liked the idea. Ten minutes later, Jack had four large pizzas on their way to the house, after a little bit of help from Nate and Lindsay with locating a number for the best pizza place, and then giving out an address for delivery. Jack then gave the kids instructions to set the table and handed them money for the pizzas before leaving to find the woman he had come all the way across the country to see.

Jack wandered down the hallway, finding a bathroom and an office, but not the den. Down the hall, a door opened, and Daniel came out. Catching sight of Jack, who held a finger to his lips, indicating that Daniel shouldn't reveal his presence, he kept his mouth shut.

"Where the hell have you been?" Daniel demanded in a whispered voice that was accompanied by a glare from Cassie, who had followed him out of the room.

"I'll explain later," Jack whispered back. "How is she?"

Daniel looked at Cassie who sighed before answering. "She needs you Jack. She needed you a week ago, but she really needs you now. We can talk later, but just go comfort her."

Jack moved past Cassie and Daniel and stood in the doorway of the den. The Samantha Carter he saw lying on the couch, clutching a pillow, trying desperately to muffle her sobs, was not the one he remembered. This woman looked broken, like she could never be whole again, and Jack knew that part of that feeling was his fault. Silently, he crept across the room to stand over her.

Sam felt the presence of someone in the room, looking at her. She blinked her eyes open, trying to clear the tears that were blurring her vision. She couldn't see very well but when a hand reached out and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, Sam knew who it was. "Jack," she whispered.

"I'm here Sam," he whispered back, reaching out to pull her into his arms.

They ended up sitting together on the couch, with most of Sam's body in Jack's lap. "Where have you been?" she demanded, looking at Jack. Sam looked at his face, really looked and saw the shadows under his eyes and the weariness to his body that hadn't been there the last time.

"It's a long story," he claimed, "One that I will be more than happy to share after I get something to eat."

Sam smiled at his boyish tactic and permitted him to lead her to the kitchen where the rest of the 'family' was already digging into the pizzas.

----

Later that evening, Jack sat on the couch in the living room, Lindsay on one side of him and Sam on the other. Daniel had stolen the recliner, leaving Cassie and Nate to sit on bean bags.

"So Jack," Daniel asked, "Where have you been?"

"I was out of town up until the weekend," Jack claimed. "It was a remote place, I can't tell you where exactly, because it's classified." Groans from Lindsay and Nate filled the air, as Daniel and Sam smiled, knowing it had something to do with Thor.

"Anyways, I got back into the country, when the President called and told me I had to come to D.C. He wouldn't tell me why, only to get on the next plane there."

"The President?" Nate asked in disbelief.

"Yep. President Henry Hayes," Jack emphasized.

"You know the President?" Lindsay questioned, not quite believing the man.

"Yep," Jack assured her. "So do Sam and Daniel."

"No way!" Nate exclaimed.

"Yeah way!" Jack shot back.

"We've met," Sam explained before the conversation could get too out of hand, remembering similar conversations between Jack and Daniel which could go on for what seemed like hours!

"That is so cool!" Nate exclaimed.

"Yeah well. Anyways, I got there and he informed me that General Hammond had a heart attack," Jack began. Gasps went up from everyone in the room. Even Nate and Lindsay, who hadn't known the man that long, had liked him.

Sam tightened her hold on Jack's hand, afraid that he could have more bad news for her. Something she wasn't sure her heart could take much more of.

"He going to be okay," Jack reassured everyone, which caused sighs of relief for all in the room. "But he left a vacancy in our program," Jack explained, "Which the President wants me to fill, at least temporarily. We spent the better part of an afternoon discussing the future of the program." Here was the point where Jack had to tread carefully. He couldn't reveal classified information with Lindsay and Nate in the room, and even Cassie didn't really have clearance.

"So I laid out some demands and suggested some things, and after much debate, the President agreed to pretty much all of them. So, Hank Landry, the guy that was temporarily in charge of the SGC while I was gone, will be taking co-command with me as together, we are going to handle command of the SGC and Hammond's position, until he gets his feet wet. Originally, he was supposed to take over Smith's command at Nellis," Jack explained for Sam's benefit, knowing that her reports to Maynard had been instrumental in that decision. "But everything indicated that things were going well enough that I don't worry too much about leaving him in charge."

"What's the SGC?" Nate asked curiously.

"Just the abbreviation for the base where we work, we do deep space radar telemetry," Jack lied, giving the standard cover story, "So we're Star Gate Command, the gate to the stars, aka the SGC."

Jack's explanation seemed to satisfy the boy, as he didn't ask any more questions.

"So a joint command?" Daniel asked, "How is that going to work?"

"I'm not really sure," Jack admitted, "But I've known Hank for a long time. He may be a Major General, but he's not a Bauer," Jack insisted.

Sam looked at Jack, a slight wonder in her eyes, given that Jack would effectively have someone that outranked him reporting to him, but a look from Jack was enough to silence the question on her lips.

"All right, bed time," Sam declared.

Groans from Nate and Lindsay filled the room. Sam quickly hustled them off to bed, followed by Cassie.

Once they were gone, Daniel turned to Jack and asked, "Are things really okay?"

Jack shrugged. "Things with Thor went fine, just took a while. Seems the Asgard wanted to 'examine' me, you know considering I'm such an advanced human and everything."

Any possible retort was cut off by Sam yelling "Daniel, Jack come say good night so that we can go to bed." Not one to argue with Sam, both men followed orders without questions.

Jack and Sam emerged from Nate's room ten minutes later. It seemed that Nate had gotten rather attached to Jack in the few hours he had known him, and had refused to go to sleep until Jack _promised_ that he would bring his Simpson's DVDs the next time he visited, after hearing all about Jack's favorite show during dinner.

Sam shook her head in silent laughter, trying to hide her amusement at her nephew's obvious show of hero worship towards her boyfriend. Eventually she gave up and her laughter broke the silence.

Jack's puzzled look, only caused Sam to laugh harder, a sound that caused Cassie, Daniel, and Jack to smile, glad to see a glimpse of the Sam that they all knew and loved.

Jack looked around the living room and yawned. "Is there a sofa bed around here or do I just get blankets and a couch?" Jack asked.

Daniel picked up some blankets and settled himself on the sofa bed in the living room, while Cassie snuggled into the roll away bed that had previously been in the guest room with Sam.

Sam looked at her two friends, her eyes relaying the gratitude she felt. Jack was forced to follow Sam down the hallway to the guest bedroom, when she tugged on his hand, pulling him along with her.

Within minutes Sam was in Jack's arms, thinking. Jack could tell that her brain was working overtime.

"What took you so long?" she finally asked.

Jack sighed. "Paperwork, lack of communication, the usual. My cell was sitting in a locker at the SGC, and despite Davis's best efforts, I had a huge pile of paperwork to go through-mission reports, etc that Hammond hadn't gotten to yet. It wasn't until I got to the bottom of the pile that I found your request for leave, written and signed by Hammond. I been calling your house, but didn't get an answer so I figured you had went out with the Prometheus, so I didn't think anything of you not returning my calls. Until I saw that request and then I called Walter-who wasn't able to tell me much, but it was enough for me to make some calls of my own to find out what was going on. I'm sorry I wasn't here."

"It's okay," Sam whispered as she gave Jack a small kiss. Still, Jack could tell that she was still thinking about something.

"What are you thinking about?" Jack asked quietly.

"Nate and Lindsay and the mess that a battle for custody will be for them," Sam admitted.

"What custody battle?" Jack asked, sitting up in bed. This was the first he had heard about what was happening with Lindsay and Nate.

Sam quickly filled Jack in on everything that she had told Daniel and Cassie earlier, including the afternoon argument with Kathy and Jacob Lewis.

"So you think the courts will side with Kathy and Jacob," Jack summarized.

"Yeah," Sam said quietly.

"Why would you think that?"

"I'm a single woman, whose life is her career. My job takes me away for days at a time, to classified places, doing dangerous things."

"That was before you transferred to Area 51," Jack objected.

"But I still have a lot of work to do with The Orion," Sam insisted.

"You do," Jack consented, "But what if I told you that the President has authorized me to do whatever it takes to keep you from resigning your commission and leaving the Stargate Program."

"He has?" Sam asked surprised at the news.

"Well Thor and the Asgard had something to say about it. We were supposed to be negotiating technology for the X-303s but when I found you request for leave in the pile of paperwork that Hammond left, I made a few phone calls and found out what had happened. Then, when we met with the President, Thor made a comment about how he was looking forward to working with you again, and I brought up your family situation. The President asked what I thought you would do, and I told him that if we didn't accommodate you, you'd have no problems leaving the Air Force and the program. That's where I come in. The President has authorized me to do anything within reason to make sure that you remain with the program," Jack explained.

"Wow! I can't believe everyone thinks I'm that valuable," Sam exclaimed.

"I told you, you're a national treasure," Jack reminded her, giving her a quick squeeze.

"So, any suggestions, since I can pretty much demand anything I want," Sam asked.

"First, move back to Colorado Springs. I'm there, Daniel's there. There are people there that know you and can help you out," Jack began.

"Daniel will be gone as soon as The Orion is ready to leave though," Sam objected, "And you'll be spending time in Washington."

"Not as much as you think. With Paul Davis taking care of most of the day to day stuff, we'll only need to make the trip once a month, and even then only one of us will go. And Daniel will be around for a while, at least a few months. That should give you time to make some arrangements for Nate and Lindsay and get them into a routine," Jack offered.

"If I get custody of them," Sam reminded him.

"They want to live with you and you want them right?" Jack asked rhetorically, "Then if we have to get a Presidential Order, you will get custody of those kids."

Sam looked at him in awe before lunging at him to give him a hug, pining him to the bed. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she repeated over and over as tears ran down her face, feeling a huge weight being lifted off her shoulders.

Relaxed and comfortable, Sam had no problems quickly drifting off to sleep in Jack's arms, ending their conversation for the evening.

Jack carefully settled Sam into bed, wrapping his arms around her and pulling the covers up over them both before falling asleep himself.

----


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Sam woke to an empty bed the following morning, and went looking for Jack. She found him sitting at the kitchen table a cup of coffee in hand, with Daniel and Cassie.

"Good morning," she greeted everyone, though she gave Jack a kiss that was intended for his cheek, but Jack turned his face and captured her lips with his own, turning what would have been a peck on the cheek into a heated kiss.

They ended the contact when Daniel coughed discreetly. Sam, of course, looked embarrassed, while Jack wore a smirk.

"So you have a meeting with the lawyers today," Daniel casually mentioned.

"Uh-hu," Sam responded, getting her own cup of coffee.

"And Kathy and Jacob," Daniel continued, looking at Sam to see how she was going to handle this.

"Are the kids going too?" Cassie asked curiously.

Sam glanced at Jack, who gave her a reassuring nod. "Jack and I are going to meet with them first. After a while, you'll probably need to bring Nate and Lindsay in so that the lawyers and whoever else can talk to them. Then they'll leave and we'll talk some more."

"Won't this be a lot like the hearing that you and Jack went to for Cassie?" Daniel asked.

"No Space Monkey. Things won't be that easy," Jack declared.

"Why not?" Daniel asked as he pushed his glasses up on his nose.

"For one, Janet left a will that gave specific instructions on what was going to happen Cassie. Then, there's the fact that Cassie is quite a bit older than either Lindsay or Nate," Jack explained.

"And no one contested Janet's will," Sam added mournfully.

"Hey," Jack said softly as he squeezed her hand reassuringly, "Things will be fine, I promise."

It seemed that Jack's words were enough to reassure Sam, because she smiled and turned her attention to making breakfast.

----

Sam had put her dress uniform on and gathered all the possible paperwork she might need and was waiting for Jack. Finally, he emerged from their bedroom, trying to straighten his tie, his jacket casually hanging over his arm. Without words, Sam stepped up and batted his hands out of the way, straightening the tie for him. When she was done, Jack rewarded her with a thank you kiss, and a confident smile, projecting the confidence he knew Sam was lacking.

Jack put his hand on the small of Sam's back, leading her to his rental car. Ever the gentleman, he opened the door and waited for her to get inside before softly shutting it and getting in the driver's side.

The drive to the lawyer's office where they were meeting at was done in silence. Sam was lost in thought, going over her arguments one more time that she would use to convince Karen's parents that she was the right person to trust with their grandchildren.

Meanwhile, Jack was thinking about all the changes that had occurred in the past two weeks, and all the things he had found out. 'As soon as we get a chance,' Jack promised himself, 'I'm going to tell Sam everything.'

All too soon, they were there. Before they got out, Jack gave Sam's hand one last reassuring squeeze and said, "I love you, and you will be a wonderful guardian for Nate and Lindsay, regardless of what they say."

His words seemed to be exactly what Sam wanted to hear as she gave him a small smile. They stepped out of the car, Jack putting on his jacket and meeting Sam at the front of the car. Side by side, like they had done so many times before, they went off to fight another battle.

----

Jack was quickly becoming aggravated as he sat and listened to Karen and Jacob Lewis go on and on about how they "would be the best choice for Lindsay and Nathan's guardians" as they kept saying.

Every time Sam tried to say something, she got interrupted or torn apart by the older couple. Eventually, Sam just gave up and let the couple talk. The lawyers, the one who had drawn up the Carter's will and the one who was representing the Lewis's, seemed content to let the talking go on and on, but the social worker was becoming tired of all the talking.

Especially, because Jack sensed, she had already reached a decision after talking with Lindsay and Nate in private.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the couple had run out of things to say, the social worker turned to Sam and Jack and asked, "Is there anything either of you would like to add to the statement you gave earlier?"

"No thank you," they both politely declined at the same time.

"Well then, I see no reason to not inform you of my decision right now. As you are all aware, Lindsay and Nathan Carter are both of an age where their opinion weighs a great deal on the final decision. Both were adamant and made their desires as to who they wished to be their guardian clear. Reviewing the materials that you have put forward along with your references and a thorough background check has made me even more confident in my decision. It is with all of this in mind, that I grant immediate guardianship of Lindsay and Nathan Carter to Ms. Samantha Carter," the woman said.

Kathy and Jacob began talking over each other, trying to raise an objection while Sam and Jack shared a smile. When Kathy started laying into the social worker, Jack broke the silence that he had kept for most of the meeting.

"Hey!" He shouted in his best command voice. "The decision has been made, there's nothing you can do about it, so just leave the woman alone."

"And just who are you?" Jacob Lewis asked, malice filling his words.

"Major General Jack O'Neill," Jack answered confidently, and continued, answering the next question that would be asked. "Sam was my 2IC for eight years and I'm here because the President of the United States wants me to do whatever it takes to get her back to work. All it will take is one phone call and you'll have a presidential order giving Sam custody of Nate and Lindsay. Don't make me make that phone call," Jack dared as he stood up, unfolding his body to reveal his menacing frame.

The social worker shot Jack a grateful smile as Jack sat back down. "Anyways," she continued, "I have nothing else. Ms. Carter, if you need anything you know how to contact me."

"Thank you," Sam said quietly as she turned to face the Kathy and Jacob. "You're more than welcome to visit any time, and I'm sure that Lindsay and Nate would be willing to visit. Maybe we could work something out where they spend a couple of weeks with you during the summer," she offered.

Kathy looked like she was still fuming but Jacob stood up and offered his hand to Sam across the table. "I guess that will have to do," he grudgingly admitted.

Jacob's comment broke the ice in the conversation that followed.

----

Sam was once more, safely encircled in Jack's arms when something dawned on her. "Just when did you make Major General?" she asked, turning around to face him.

"When I agreed to stay on and help Landry take over of Hammond's position. The President insisted," Jack claimed, shrugging off her words.

"And you didn't think it was important enough to tell me," Sam accused.

"Of course not, it just kinda slipped my mind," Jack apologized. "We had more important things to worry about than my promotion," Jack reminded her.

"I guess," Sam relented, "But don't think I'm letting you off the hook that easily!"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Jack smiled at her, trying not to look smug at her words.

"And I don't mean like that either," she lightly elbowed him. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"Actually there is," Jack said as he thought about he was going to break the news to Sam. "The promotion came from the President, but before I refused to take Hammond's job on a permanent basis and move to Washington, I made a couple of demands of my own. I want you to move in with me. You, Lindsay, and Nate when we get back Colorado Springs," Jack explained.

"Jack, as great as that sounds, I'm still working on the Orion," Sam reminded him, "And that's at Area 51. Me and the kids are headed back to Nellis."

"I know that," Jack accepted. "That's why the Asgard who will be in orbit until the Orion is ready to leave, have offered to beam you from the SGC to Area 51 everyday."

"Wow! Jack! Moving in together? I mean, if it was just me, I would have already said yes, but…"

"Nate and Lindsay right? Actually, they were open to the idea. Kind of excited actually," Jack claimed.

"You went behind my back!" Sam accused him.

Jack had the sense to look guilty.

"Fortunately, I think it's a good idea, so you're off the hook, this time," Sam finished. "Anything else?"

"Just that you'll be reporting to Landry for all things work related. The President thought it was strange that I didn't want you under my command again, but when I explained the situation, he was quite an understanding man, after he got done laughing that is. Seems everyone and their brother at the SGC had a bet on when we would finally get together," Jack said.

Sam buried her face in Jack's chest in embarrassment. "Tell me you're joking," she begged.

"Nope."

"I'm never going to be able to show my face at the White House ever again, let alone in Colorado Springs." Sam groaned.

"Honestly, that isn't as bad as it sounds Sam," Jack reminded her, "Washington isn't everything that it's cracked up to be."

"Of course you would think that, you're not the one that…"

"Everyone will think slept her way up the ranks," Jack finished for her, before reminding her of her words from a few months before. "The people that think that are stupid Sam and those that believe it-well we'll just let Teal'c deal with them!"

"Only because it will be easier that way," he was quick to add at her glare that indicated he had better not think that she was incapable of dealing with them herself. "Teal'c does that staring thing with his eyebrow and it makes everyone cower."

Sam laughed and kissed Jack on the lips, letting him know all was okay. "I guess since the kids already know, we'll _have_ to move in with you," Sam declared, somehow managing to make it sound like a huge sacrifice on her part.

"Yeah, you wouldn't want to disappoint the kids," Jack murmured as he leaned in to kiss Sam once more.

----

Jack had insisted that the kids finish packing the previous day so that they could fly back to Colorado Springs the next day. It had taken quite a while, especially to go through their parents' room. That experience had brought forth quite a few tears from Lindsay and Nate who chose to donate most of their parents' things to charity, while leaving the house already furnished. Sam and Jack had talked with them about the furniture in the house, which both of the kids had been indifferent to keeping.

Kathy and Jacob had come over to help, and sort out a few things that they wanted to keep, but for the most part, Lindsay and Nate wouldn't be taking more than personal possessions and clothes with them.

Meanwhile, Jack had taken advantage of the time to have Thor beam him and Cassie to Sam's place at Nellis. Once there, they tagged items that Thor beamed to Jack's house in Colorado Springs.

Jack had charted a plane to fly them back to Colorado Springs, considering they had all gotten there by plane and it would take a really long time to drive back. Sam agreed and let Jack charter the plane, knowing that it would be the only way they could take all the boxes with them. After all, they couldn't make use of beaming technology with Lindsay and Nate there!

When they got to the airfield though, the pilot was someone that Sam, Jack, Daniel, and even Cassie were very familiar with.

"Ferretti!" Sam squeaked as the man pulled her into a bone crushing hug.

"Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter!" Louis Ferretti exclaimed once Sam was at arm's length. He turned to Jack and pulled him into a manly, back slapping hug, "And Jack, a General, I never thought I'd see the day!"

"We say the same thing all the time," Daniel added as he guided Nate and Lindsay over with Cassie at his side.

Ferretti gave Daniel a huge smile while Jack sent him a glare. "And who are these three?" Ferretti asked.

"This is my niece and nephew, Lindsay and Nate Carter," Sam explained, and then traded a grin with Cassie, "And this young lady is Cassie."

"Not Cassie? Janet's Cassie? When did you become so grown up?" Ferretti asked in disbelief.

"We're not sure ourselves," Jack said, putting his arm around Sam, something that made Ferretti's eyebrows shoot up, but he didn't say anything.

"Come on guys, let's get everything on the plane," Jack ordered and the group quickly loaded all the luggage and boxes on the plane.

They were already in the air, Jack at the controls with Nate in the co-pilot's seat. Both were acting like little kids with a new toy to play with. The two had bonded even more once Nate had admitted that he had considered following the family tradition of going into the Air Force so that he could become a pilot. Jack had quickly gotten down to business and started giving him flying lessons.

Ferretti had come back to sit next to Sam. "Jack told me about Jacob Sam. I'm sorry to hear that he died. He was a good man. He'll be missed," Ferretti lamented.

"Thank you," Sam said quietly.

"So you and Jack, huh?" Ferretti said smiling at the idea, as he moved to a lighter subject. "You know Charlie and I were the first two to place bets after that first briefing. I never thought that the two of you would ever get together, considering how the odds were stacked against you. I'm glad you found a way though. If anyone deserves it, it's you and Jack…so when is he going pop the question?"

Sam stared at Ferretti in shock doing a good impression of a goldfish with the way her mouth kept opening and closing but no sound coming out. Ferrett clapped her on the shoulder and laughed before returning to the cockpit and kicking an enthralled Nate out.

"Last I heard Sam was engaged to some cop Jack, so what happened that the two of you are so close now?" Ferretti asked, wondering how hard he would have to work to get a rise out of Jack.

Jack shrugged. "Her dad died, we went fishing, she transferred, and we started dating."

"Any plans for a wedding in the future?"

Jack pulled a box out of his pocket and handed it to Ferretti. Ferretti opened it and whistled. "I'm guessing that would be a yes. How long have you had this for?" he asked, closing the box and handing it back to Jack.

"Too long," Jack admitted, "And it will be even longer now, with Nate and Lindsay in the picture. I was going to ask her about three weeks ago, but Thor interrupted things."

"Why does Sam having custody of Nate and Lindsay make a difference?" Ferretti asked confused.

"Sam just became a mom, to two teen aged kids, but a mom nonetheless. That's not something that will be easy to adjust to overnight. I don't want to put pressure on our relationship and her relationship with Lindsay and Nate at the same time. Besides, Nate, Lindsay, and Sam to all move in with me. That seemed like a big enough step for now," Jack claimed.

"But you love her enough to buy a ring," Ferretti prodded.

"If something happens to her before I have a chance to put a ring on her finger and show her just how much she means to me. I don't know if I'll survive," Jack admitted.

They were beginning their descent now, so the personal conversation ended. Ferretti didn't get a chance to say anything else to Jack until they were loading the last couple boxes into Jack's truck.

"Don't wait too long to ask her Jack. You've both had to wait so long already, and you love kids Jack. Don't waste a single day," Ferretti advised him.

Jack smiled wistfully taking Ferretti's advice to heart. "I don't plan to," he promised.

"Just don't forget to invite me to the wedding," Ferretti commanded.

----


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

It took the rest of the weekend to get everyone settled at Jack's house. Cassie already had a room, but she would now be sharing with Lindsay while Nate would have his own room.

Jack had originally thought things would be a little cramped with five people living in the house, but suddenly he knew that he needed to put an addition on to the house. Every time he turned around, he felt like he was tripping over someone!

Cassie's room had previously been the guest room, prior to Janet's death, but now, housed the bunk beds that Sam had purchased for the guest room in Nevada. The bed originally in Cassie's room had been relocated to Nate's new room, which had been Jack's office. Needless to say, there had been quite a lot of furniture moving going on during that first weekend.

Jack realized something though; he needed an office as did Sam that could be secured because of the classified nature of their work-something that his house was now lacking. So while they were spooned together in bed, Jack told Sam one evening during her first week living with him that he was going to look into putting an addition on the house. What he didn't tell her that he would be doing the same thing to his cabin.

He figured that she protested enough at adding on to the house, telling him, "We can find our own place. We don't need to make you-"

"You're not making me do anything," Jack assured her. "I always figured that I would add on someday, and now is a good of time as any."

Sam eyed him suspiciously but let Jack off the hook anyways.

Jack was glad that he didn't tell her he wasn't just adding one bedroom and two offices, like she probably thought, but three bedrooms, two offices, and expanding the living room-and that the only time he had imagined adding on to his house was because he was married to her and they needed more bedrooms for their kids.

Jack always dreams that he would need six bedrooms for the kids, one for each of the future O'Neill hockey stars!

----

The end of summer came all too soon for the Carters. Nate and Lindsay had made a few friends, which made going to school seem slightly less daunting. The fact that Cassie had went to the same middle school was a relief for everyone. The school's principal remembered Jack and Sam, both of whom had picked Cassie up from school numerous times and had been extremely reassuring for Sam's sake.

Jack could tell that Nate and Lindsay could care less about the school; in their minds, they just had to go to school, something they had done since they were five!

Settling into a daily routine had turned out to be rather easy. Sam or Jack would drop the kids off at school in the morning and they would take the bus home in the afternoon. Cassie, who had transferred to the University of Colorado so that she could be closer to her family, would be home shortly after to keep an eye on them until Sam and Jack got home.

Sam and Jack had protested Cassie's change of college, Sam more so than Jack, but Cassie had been insistent that she wanted to be closer to her family. And she really did consider Lindsay and Nate to be part of her family. There was no doubt that the older girl considered Nate to be an annoying younger brother and Lindsay to be the little sister she always wanted. Weekend shopping trips and late night talks with Lindsay were normal things for both girls.

Sam couldn't have been happier about how things were going, except for one thing. Jack hadn't mentioned taking their relationship further. She thought that moving in with him would mean that they would discuss the topic of marriage, but Jack hadn't said a word.

What she didn't know was what Jack was currently planning.

Jack surprised Lindsay and Nate by picking them up from school one Thursday afternoon in September.

"Uncle Jack," Nate asked looking at the older man who seemed slightly off, "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," Jack reassured him, offering both kids a small smile to reinforce his words as the kids climbed into his truck.

They drove to McDonald's, supposedly because Jack was hungry, but even Lindsay noticed that he only got a shake. Finally Lindsay couldn't take the silence any more and out rightly asked, "Are you going to marry Aunt Sam?"

Nate was lucky that Jack's mouth was empty otherwise he probably would have found himself covered in chocolate milkshake!

"Am I that obvious?" Jack questioned.

Lindsay squealed, "I knew it! Cassie so owes me five bucks now!"

Jack examined Lindsay's face and saw nothing but excitement reflected there. "So, you're okay with the idea?" he asked.

"Yes!" Lindsay exclaimed.

"Of course," Nate claimed with a reluctant smile that showed he really wasn't as okay with it as he claimed-something that Jack noticed.

"Good," Jack said, smiling in relief, though much like Nate's smile, it was reserved.

When they got home, Jack placed a hand on Nate's seatbelt, preventing him from getting out. He waited until Lindsay got out though before saying anything. "You want to tell me what's wrong?" he asked the boy.

Nate shrugged. "Nothing."

"Let's go for a walk," Jack suggested.

They walked towards the park while Jack asked Nate questions. "Problems at school?" he asked.

"No."

"Problems with Lindsay or Cassie?"

"Nope."

"Is it girls?" Jack asked slightly worried because he had no idea how to deal with that kind of stuff.

"Ewww!"

"Then it has to be with me or with Sam," Jack concluded.

Nate just shrugged.

"You know I'm not trying to replace your dad, just like Sam doesn't want to replace your mom," Jack spoke aloud.

"I know," Nate mumbled.

Jack turned to look at Nate. "You know, I was married before. Even had a son," Jack admitted.

"You did?" Nate asked looking a little bit surprised.

"Yeah. He died, a long time ago. You remind me of him sometimes," Jack claimed.

"I do?"

"Yeah. I only hope that I can do a better job with you than I did with Charlie. You're a good kid Nate, and with the influence of your aunt, you'll make fine man someday." Jack stopped Nate with a hand on his shoulder. "I promise that I'm not going to take your aunt away. You and Lindsay are stuck with me just as much as she will be, if she agrees to marry me that is."

"She'd better," Nate declaring looking Jack in the eye, "Lindsay, Cassie, and I will gang up on her until she does."

Jack laughed. "I'd pay to see that one, but let's hold that plan in reserve and see if she'll just say yes when I ask."

"Okay," Nate said, obviously disappointed that he couldn't force his aunt into something.

----

Friday night Jack took Sam out to the same restaurant that he had several months before when he had planned to 'pop the question'. Jack was pretty sure that Sam didn't suspect a thing when he guided her out back to a gazebo that was lit with while lights. Jack led her to the middle gazebo and took her hand, fingering the box that was in his pocket.

"I love you," Jack began.

"I love you too," Sam returned.

Jack held up his hand. "Just let me do this before I lose my nerve," Jack insisted, "Or we get interrupted again."

Sam nodded and Jack continued. "I love you and cannot for the life of me figure out what you see in me. I'm older than you, sarcastic, and often say the wrong thing. But I hope that I got this right. You would make me the happiest man in the world, heck in the galaxy if you would let me be apart of your family, be a real uncle to Nate and Lindsay, and agree to be my wife. I guess what I'm trying to say Sam, is will you marry me?"

Sam blinked. And then blinked again. And then blinked a third time, trying to process his words. "I love you Jack O'Neill. YES!"

"Really?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"Yes!"

Jack pulled Sam in for the longest kiss of either of their lives.

----

A short while later they pulled into the garage at their house. Sam and Jack walked hand in hand through the door only to be pounced on by Cassie and Lindsay who must have been waiting for them.

Cassie only managed to stop Lindsay from saying anything by speaking first when she realized that there wasn't a ring on Sam's finger. "Did you have a good time?" she asked.

Sam looked at them suspiciously, especially when Nate, Daniel, and then Teal'c joined them in the kitchen. "Teal'c!" Sam gasped, "When did you get here?"

"Earlier this evening Colonel Carter," Teal'c replied as he hugged the overly enthusiastic woman.

"Don't look at me Sam, I didn't know he was coming," Jack insisted.

"Well?" Nate asked looking at Jack expectantly.

Jack looked at Sam and like so many times before, they carried out an entire conversation with just their eyes. Jack wrapped his arm around Sam's shoulder. "Sam and I have an announcement to make," Jack began, "We're getting married!"

The girls let out shrieks of joy as the converged on Sam, but Cassie looked at the two adults rather confused. "Umm Jack, not to sound annoying or anything, but where's the ring?"

"The ring? Umm…in my pocket still," Jack admitted sheepishly as he pulled the ring out and slipped it on Sam's finger while his audience laughed.

Sam and Jack were getting ready for bed, when Jack caught Sam staring at her engagement ring for what seemed like the millionth time since he had put it on her finger. The platinum band had two small stones set on either side of a sapphire colored diamond. It wasn't like either of her two previous engagement rings-it was better in every way, the ring she had always dreamed of having-but mostly it was better because it was Jack's ring.

"It's not going to disappear if you quit looking at it," Jack promised.

"I know," Sam admitted, "I just can't believe you finally asked!"

"Finally? Do you know that I've carried that ring around since after that first trip to see you at Area 51? I wanted to be sure that you would say yes, and even tonight I wasn't sure that you would agree," Jack explained.

Sam stepped over to Jack and kissed him. "No matter when you had asked, I would have said yes-and if there would have been a priest I would have married you on the spot!" Sam declared.

"What if I had asked you in BDUs covered in mud?" Jack asked, hopefully starting a game.

"Then I would have said yes." And Sam kissed him.

"What about if I had asked you in the middle of the gate room?"

"I would have said yes." And Sam gave him another kiss.

"In front of General Hammond?"

"Yes." And a kiss.

"In front of the President?"

"Yes, Yes, Yes!" Sam said giving him another kiss.

"Good, then I guess now would be a good time to tell you that the President is getting an invitation to the wedding," Jack said. "It was part of the deal."

Sam eyed him suspiciously. "What deal?"

Jack fidgeted a little bit under her gaze. "The one I made with Thor and the President that they got invitations to the wedding in exchange for the use of the beaming technology and me not taking Hammond's position."

"Oh. Wait-the President wanted you to take Hammond's position?"

Jack gulped. "Yeah and I told him there was no way in hell I could do the politics thing."

"So you're pawned it off on General Landry!" Sam accused him trying to look mad.

"Not totally, at least not yet," Jack admitted, "But I fully intend to when I meet with the President next week. Speaking of which, Nate and Lindsay have a long weekend, some teacher in-service thing, so I was thinking that you, me, Daniel, Teal'c, and the kids all go to D.C.," Jack suggested as he slid into bed.

"You were thinking huh? I thought that was my job," Sam joked as she cuddled up next to him.

"Well I can have a good idea every now and then," Jack claimed with a chuckle.

"And I suppose you told the kids already so that I'll have to agree, right?" Sam asked, knowing full well that she would be ganged up on if she said no.

"I may have casually mentioned something," Jack said, "And the President did want you to come."

"Then I guess we're going to D.C." Sam sighed in an exaggerated manner, "Anything else you want to tell me now or is it all going to be a surprise?"

"Actually, there is," Jack said as Sam turned around to face him. "The President has offered to officiate our wedding in the Oval Office. I told him that it was all up to you."

Sam gaped at him. "He really said that?"

"Uh-hu."

"You know," Sam said as a smile began to form on her face, "Teal'c is only in town for a little more than a week and Daniel leaves on The Orion in two weeks, and I can't imagine getting married without them being there. So I think you'd better call the President and tell him that we'll take him up on the offer-but no extra guests!" She insisted, thinking about the length of the guest list for her wedding to Pete.

"You're serious?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"Well yeah. How many people do you know that get married by the President in the Oval Office?" Sam asked.

"Umm…none?"

"Yeah, so you better give him a call tomorrow morning and get things setup," Sam ordered him.

"Yes ma'am," Jack said offering her a mock salute.

----


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The entire next week, the base noticed that their General, well General O'Neill was in a very good mood while General Landry seemed to be the slightly cranky one, a role reversal from what the staff was used to-especially considering General O'Neill was about to spend a weekend in Washington-his least favorite place on Earth next to Antartica.

Everyone knew that General Jack O'Neill and politics didn't mix. Walter had been overheard telling a group of technicians that the man would rather face a battalion of heavily armed Jaffa, alone, than do paperwork or talk with a politician. Unsurprisingly, every person in the room agreed with him.

The reason for the behavior of the two Generals was the talk of the water cooler, the infirmary, the mess hall-heck everyone seemed to want to know what was going on. Several people tried digging information out of Teal'c, Dr. Jackson, and even Colonel Carter, who reported to the base every morning before beaming onto The Orion for that day's work, but no one would say anything. But Walter and Siler were sure taking bets!

Just when Walter thought that rumors couldn't get any worse, General O'Neill informed him that the President would be arriving on base Tuesday morning for a visit. The General had clapped him on that shoulder and said, "Good Luck, I'm sure you'll be fine Walter. And remember-Don't call me or Carter unless it's an emergency this weekend. Bug Hank for a chance, it may be one of the last chances you get!"

Walter had looked at the man in disbelief as he trotted out of the room, presumably to greet a returning Colonel Carter.

----

While the base was busy trading rumors, the Carter-O'Neill household was busy getting ready for a trip to D.C. Lindsay, Nate, and Cassie hadn't been told that they would be meeting the President and having dinner with him or that they were going to Sam and Jack's wedding. Yet going to D.C. was a good enough excuse to send the kids shopping for some new clothes.

Nate had protested loudly as Jack drug him to be fitted for a suit and tie. Of course Cassie and Lindsay made an afternoon out of shopping for new clothes and came home with more clothing than they could ever wear on a four day trip to D.C.

"There was a huge sale," Cassie explained as she handed bags from the back seat of her car to Jack so that he could help carry them in the house. Three trips later, the car was empty and Jack wondered if there was any clothes left in the mall.

With preparations at home for the trip to D.C. causing so much excitement, Sam couldn't help but compare her feelings this time to her engagement with Pete. This time there were no flowers to pick out or caterer to meet with. Though Sam suspected that there would be cake with dinner, at least she hoped there would be or Jack would never let her forget that their 'wedding reception' had been without the most important food group! In fact, Sam was feeling nothing but excitement for the approaching wedding day-compared to the nerves and doubt that had plagued her the previous two times.

Sam was almost disappointed that she had convinced Jack to keep the news of their upcoming nuptials quiet, which had been quite a feat in itself, because she so wanted to tell everyone that she was getting married to the man of her dreams.

----

Right after Lindsay and Nate got out of school on Thursday, Jack whisked them off to the jet that the President had arranged to fly all of them to Washington. When they arrived in D.C. it was already too late to do much more than get something to eat. So they ordered room service after getting checked into the hotel.

Not long after dinner, Sam sent the kids to their own room, reminding them that Cassie was in charge and to enjoy themselves while the adults spent the next day in meetings. Jack scowled at the mention of the meetings, hating just the mention of how he was going to spend the next day.

That night, the night before their wedding day, Sam and Jack were lying in bed once more, when Sam brought up the subject she had been thinking about for a long time.

"Jack," Sam asked, "What do you think about kids?"

Jack was pretty sure he knew what she was talking about, but he felt the need to joke anyways. "Kids? Well, I think they're great. Having Nate and Lindsay around is great. Finally there's someone around who is close to my IQ."

"Jack! Can you please be serious about this?" Sam demanded. "Besides, Nate and Lindsay are both very smart."

"I'm sorry," Jack apologized.

"You can make it up to me later," Sam claimed.

"Sure," Jack promised, ideas already swimming through his head.

"Kids," Sam reminded him. "What do you think about us having kids?"

Jack sat up and turned on a lamp on the bedside table so that he could see Sam while they had this conversation. "I love kids Sam."

"But?"

"But one of the first things to cross my desk after I took command of the SGC was a medical file. Your medical file," Jack admitted.

"Oh," Sam said as she understood that Jack already knew what she was going to tell him, "But that doesn't mean we can't try right?" Sam asked hopefully.

"Of course not," Jack said, trying hard to hide his reluctance at the idea from Sam. Not reluctance at trying, but at the idea of being a father again. Taking care of Lindsay and Nate was one thing, but having a baby would be another story.

Being responsible for Nate and Lindsay who were already past the age that Charlie had died at was reassuring for him. The day Sarah told him that she was pregnant with Charlie had been the happiest and scariest day in his life, up until that point. Having a baby with Sam, one that would be solely dependent on them, would be the scariest thing he had ever done.

Luckily for Jack, Sam seemed so happy that he was willing to try, despite every doctor had said that she would never have children of her own, that she was starting to do things to let him know she wanted to start trying right now, which wasn't something Jack was going to protest!

----

The next day the original members of SG-1 met with the Joint Chiefs and the President. It felt good to be able to tell them that all known threats in the galaxy were under control, something for which the many generals congratulated the team for a job well done.

Teal'c confidently told the group of the progress being made by the Free Jaffa as they discovered just what they could do with their newfound freedom.

Jack had been pleased that Teal'c seemed to make the Joint Chiefs nervous with just a glance. It wasn't often that one got to see a room full of the highest ranking men in the country squirm just because someone looked at them wrong!

But no one was more grateful than Sam when the President announced that her transfer to the SGC had been approved. She planned to once again take command of SG-1 while also doing the occasional consultation with R&D out of Area 51, along with being the head of the Science Department at the SGC, therefore having her report to General Landry, the new head of Homeworld Security, made the most sense.

Sam and the President noted that Jack wasn't the only one who gave a sigh of relief at that announcement. It seemed the Joint Chiefs were relieved to find out that they would not have to deal with Jack O'Neill on a day to day basis, which made Sam smile internally. It was plainly obvious that Jack O'Neill and politics just didn't mix.

The President left as soon as the meeting was over, but not without whispering a reminder to Jack and Sam that he expected them and their guests an hour before the scheduled dinner time. The whispered conversation resulted in Sam and Jack getting questioning looks from the various generals and even Teal'c and Daniel, which they just ignored, much like they were used to doing.

----

For what had to be the twentieth time, Jack asked Sam, "Are you sure you don't want to wear a dress for this evening?"

His only answer was a glare which caused him to raise his hands in surrender. "Okay, I get it. I'll quit asking and go check on the kids," Jack offered and was rewarded with a one of a kind Sam Carter smile.

Ten minutes later, Jack was pulling Nate out of his room and shoving him into the elevator. "I know you don't like the tie kiddo but for where we're going, you're going to need it," Jack declared.

It didn't take long to get everyone into the limo that the President had sent to pick them up and once they were on their way, Jack, with Sam by his side, addressed everyone in the limo. "We're going somewhere very special tonight. All of you need to be on your best behavior," Jack warned, which earned him an elbow in the ribs from Sam, reminding him that that statement applied to him too.

"Just where are we eating Jack?" Daniel asked.

"Actually, we have to do something before we can eat," Sam explained.

"What will be partaking in Colonel Carter?" Teal'c asked with a gleam in his eye like he already knew what was going to happen that evening.

Sam looked at Jack. Jack looked at Sam.

"We're getting married," they both said at the same time.

"Married!" Most everyone in the car said at the same time.

"How did you find a place to get married so quickly," Daniel asked suspiciously, "Unless you were engaged before last weekend…"

"No, we didn't get engaged until last weekend," Sam assured him.

"Then where did you find a place to have a wedding so fast. The wait for a place in D.C. must be like months," Cassie claimed.

"I took a friend up on an offer," Jack smugly said. "It's not everyday that the President offers to let you get married in the Oval Office."

"The President?"

"The Oval Office?"

"We're going to the White House?"

Were the words that greeted Jack's announcement as everyone tried to talk. Jack held up his hand, asking for silence, which he was rewarded with rather quickly.

"In case I didn't make it clear, we are getting married in the Oval Office at the White House by the President who has then asked us to stay for dinner," Jack explained.

Jack's explanation was met with silence and smiles except for Nate who had a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Nate?" Sam asked.

"I'm trying to figure out what's cooler you and Uncle Jack getting married by the President or having dinner at the White House!" Nate exclaimed.

Nate comment set the tone for the rest of the ride to the White House.

----

When they arrived at the White House, an aide quickly whisked Jack away the group, while another led Sam away after Jack disappeared from view. "I'll see you guys in a few minutes," Sam called over her shoulder as she followed after the aide. A third aide led the rest of the group to a room right off of the Oval Office. A few minutes later a very familiar man in a wheelchair joined them.

"General Hammond," Teal'c greeted the man as an aide pushed the now retired General into the room, "I am glad to see you well. I feared the worse when Daniel Jackson contacted me."

The General gave Teal'c a reassuring smile. "The doctors assure me that I will make a full recovery. I may have retired from the Air Force but I dare say you will still see me occasionally. As soon as the doctors will let me, I intend to move back to Colorado Springs to be with my daughter and granddaughters," Hammond declared in a loud boisterous tone, one that left no doubt that that day would be soon.

"That's great," Daniel said ecstatically. "It will be good to have you around more. I've missed seeing you over the past year."

"Will you not be going abroad Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked.

Daniel looked slightly embarrassed as he hung his head. "Yeah, I will," he admitted, having forgotten for a second that he would be leaving.

At that moment, the door to the President's office opened and Jack and President Henry Hayes walked out.

"General Hammond," Jack greeted the man warmly, "It's good to see you."

"I would say the same for you son," Hammond said sternly, "Except after everything I've done for you and Sam, you couldn't even call to tell me that you were engaged. I thought I meant more to you than that," the man chastised him.

Jack had the insight to look remorseful. "I'm sorry sir. I guess in the rush to get everything done and keep most people in the dark, we forgot to call you."

"We didn't forget anything," Sam spoke from the doorway as everyone in the room turned to look at her, "I remembered to call General Hammond and make sure that he was invited."

Jack couldn't seem to find his brain as he stared at Sam. She had changed out of her uniform and was now wearing a beautiful ivory dress. The dress fell almost to the floor, totally covering the legs that Jack loved to see. Yet as he started at her feet and worked his way up to her head, he couldn't help but take in the dress that was vaguely familiar. Suddenly it dawned on him; this must have been Sam's mother's wedding dress!

Suddenly, Jack realized that everyone was looking at him. "What?" he asked, removing his eyes from Sam.

Everyone laughed at his reaction as Hayes patted him on the back. "Nothing Jack. Come on, let's go get you and Colonel Carter married."

The wedding was short and to the point. Sam and Jack stood in front of the President, hands clasped as they repeated their vows to love and cherish each-"Always". After they sealed that promise with a kiss, Jack and Sam were congratulated by everyone present.

The adults all gave them some version of "It's about time," while Nate and Lindsay gave Jack warm hugs as they welcomed their new uncle to the family.

Hayes held the happy couple behind for a couple minutes, all on the pretense of taking care of their marriage certificate. Once the room was clear, Thor joined them.

"Thank you for inviting me to share in your nuptials," Thor stated.

"I'm sorry that you couldn't be in the room with us Thor," Jack apologized.

"It just would have been kind of hard to explain you to Nate and Lindsay though," Sam explained.

"I understand," Thor assured them. "My view from _The Daniel Jackson_ was quite acceptable. I wish you many happy years together." And then Thor disappeared in a beam of white light.

Dinner turned out to be a festive occasion as well. Considering they were eating at the White House, the meal wasn't that much different from one that would have occurred at the O'Neill household, especially since the President relaxed and joined in the banter that Jack kept going.

And of course there was cake! A small two tier cake, one layer of chocolate cake and another of white, both decked out with lots, and lots of icing. Once the couple had partaken in the tradition of cutting the cake together, the President excused himself to make calls to some foreign dignitaries, but only after congratulating Sam and Jack on their wedding, and reminding them all that they would be joining him on Air Force One for the flight back to Colorado Springs. Nate had looked like he would die from pleasure merely at the mention of the famous airplane!

Sam and Jack had thanked the President profusely but the man once again waved off their thanks, saying "After everything you have done for this country, this planet really, it's the least I can do. I doubt that we will ever do enough to repay the debt that we owe you. All of you," he declared gesturing at the four original members of SG-1 and General Hammond.

"Still, thank you sir, for everything," Jack declared holding out his hand for the President to shake. "Not every commander in chief would have been so understanding and willing to work with us or give Sam and I as much latitude as you have. I want you to know that I don't plan to disappoint you."

"I have the utmost faith in the two of you," The President returned as he shook the General's hand. "In all of you," he quickly added, meeting the eyes of everyone in the room.

"Thank you sir," they all replied.

While Sam and Jack took off to go back to their hotel, Teal'c, Daniel, Lindsay, Nate, and Cassie received a special tour of the White House. The White House group was quite surprised when they returned to their hotel and went to the ballroom, intent on giving Nate and Lindsay a small taste of the D.C. nightlife. Instead they ended up quietly backing out of the room after catching a glimpse of Sam and Jack wrapped in a lovers embrace and slow dancing to a well known love song.

Daniel and Teal'c exchanged knowing glances. A normal man would have taken his wife back to their hotel room and not emerged until late the following morning. Yet Jack was currently dancing with his wife. It showed the couple's two closest friends once more that there was much more to Jack O'Neill than meets the eye. Jack had always told everyone that he hated to dance-never once had he been seen dancing at any SGC function, and it wasn't for lack of invitations or opportunities!

But on his wedding night, Daniel and Teal'c had discovered his secret.

Major General Jack O'Neill didn't hate dancing as much as he claimed. In fact, if the content grin on his face was anything to judge by, Jack O'Neill would be willing to dance for a long time as long as his partner was one Samantha Carter-O'Neill.

----


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Tuesday morning found Sam standing at attention in the gate room with many of the other SG teams. As usual, SG-1 had taken up the position of honor at the bottom of the ramp that led to the gate. The President entered and offered her a small smile as he walked by with General Landry and Jack to the podium at the top of the ramp.

"At ease," President Hayes called as he stood in at the top of the gate and surveyed the array of military personnel in the room. "First of all, I'd like to congratulate and thank each and every one of you. The recent threat analysis delivered by General O'Neill and Colonel Carter indicated that this planet is as safe as it has ever been. The reason for that is you, all of you." Cheers and applause broke out around the room but quickly subsided.

"My main reason for visiting is to announce several changes and confirm a few rumors. First of all, General Hank Landry will be leaving the SGC to take the position as head of Homeworld Security, the position from which General George Hammond is recently retired. I have the utmost confidence in General Landry's abilities as a possible commander here, but after conferring with both him and General O'Neill, they both agreed that General O'Neill was better suited to remain as commander of the SGC, something which I heartedly agree with. So General Landry, I'm sure you would like to say a few words before you depart," the President said stepping back so that Hank Landry could have his say.

"I know that I have only been here a short while," the man said, "But I have no doubt that I worked with the very best that our country has to offer. I am proud to serve my country by representing all of you in Washington."

Hank stepped back and nodded at the polite applause that broke out. When the President stepped back to the podium though, silence resumed. "I'm sure you will all be happy to know that General O'Neill will remain the commander of the SGC, although there will be a few changes."

Looks of shock and fear were instantly visible around the room. "I have discussed these changes with General O'Neill, General Landry, and even General Hammond, and all have assured me that they believe this to be the right move to make as the SGC undergoes a change. As no longer primarily a frontline military base, the SGC will be returning to its original mission of scientific and cultural discovery. None of you have anything to fear as your positions here or if you so choose, at Atlantis, are secure. I have no plans to decrease funding despite the decrease in the threat level analysis."

A sense of relief could be felt around the room as the military and civilians were all reassured by the President's words.

"In order to make that change, the Joint Chiefs felt that it would be necessary to appoint someone to head the Science side of things here at the SGC. This person would have to be capable of working side by side with General O'Neill as they coordinate missions, but would report directly to the Head of Homeworld Security and the Joint Chiefs, rather than to General O'Neill. I was presented with a very short list of possible candidates, but one was obviously more qualified than all of the others."

People were starting to look at Sam, as if saying they knew where this was headed, but she couldn't imagine having the position that the President was describing. There had to be someone of a higher rank than Lieutenant Colonel who could do those things.

"So my last order of business today is to announce the promotion of Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter to the rank of Colonel with the hope that she will accept the position as Head of Technology in the Stargate program," the President finished.

Jack smirked at Sam, giving her the same grin that he had the last time she had gotten a promotion. Realizing she hadn't moved yet, Jack gave her the same head movement as he had last time, motioning her to come up and get her promotion.

Sam walked up to the podium and waited as the President watched Jack and General Landry change out her insignia. "These were mine," Jack whispered as he pinned an eagle on her shoulder.

"You knew?" she demanded as she glared at him.

"Of course I did," Jack said as the President whispered, "I trust that you'll have revenge in your own time Sam."

Sam looked at the President who had a gleam in his own eye. He carefully directed his gaze to her hand where her wedding and engagement ring would rest, had she been wearing them. Suddenly, Sam knew exactly what she was going to do, and she winked to let the President know that she gotten his hint.

Sam traded salutes with the President, Jack, and General Landry, and then the President instructed, "Now raise your right hand and repeat after me: I insert _full_ name," he requested emphasizing the word full.

Sam raised her hand, but looked past the President to her husband, with an evil glint in her eyes.

"I Samantha Carter-O'Neill," she said but her next words were cut off by the sudden outbreak of applause, whooping, and cheering throughout the room, something that the President just smiled at, giving his own permission for it to go on. Sam grinned, but a blush filled her face in embarrassment as Hank clapped Jack on the back congratulating him. Sam suspected that the only thing that kept people from surrounding them was that they were standing next to the President.

Once the noise had become a dull roar, Hayes began again, "Now let's try this once more," he said but smiled the whole time as he completed the process of promoting Sam to her new rank.

Once the ceremony was over, Jack went to the podium to officially thank the President. "Thank you very much Mr. President. Your visits to my base always bring so much excitement and entertainment. You're always welcome back."

"Thank you General O'Neill," the President returned warmly into the microphone. Hayes then took a step back and shook hands with Hank, Jack, and Sam. "I think I can find my own way out though," he hinted.

"Attention," Jack yelled and the room came to attention as the President left the room, escorted just by his Secret Servicemen.

Jack quickly took the podium and gave his brief, but informative speech.

"Since I have become the commander of this base, I have been constantly impressed by the work that each and every one of you have done. I know that the coming months will bring change, for many of you. But I hope that you will all decide to stick around as these changes take place. Regardless, I hope you join me in the mess hall to say good-bye to General Landry. Dismissed," he called.

Jack quickly found himself surrounded by well wishers and congratulators over his recent marriage. Despite his desperate looks to Sam for help escaping, Jack knew he would be a long while getting out of the gate room.

It was well over an hour later when Jack made it to the mess hall, only to discover that there wasn't a single piece of chocolate cake with chocolate icing left. Jack was tempted to find the nearest lower ranking officer with a piece of said cake and order him or her to turn it over.

Luckily, Sam saved some unsuspecting Airman from that fate. "Sir, we saved you a piece of cake," she called from the table that had always been reserved for SG-1.

Jack's head whipped around and his eyes lit up. Jack made his way over and sat down next to her, stealing the piece of cake and extra fork from her tray. "You are a genius Carter," he declared.

"Just doing my part. After all you're not the easiest person to work with if you haven't had your cake or pie," Sam claimed, adding a belated "Sir" after a few seconds.

"You know, you're getting to awful insubordinate there Colonel," Jack commented.

"She learned from the best Jack," Daniel reminded him.

Jack groaned. "I'll always knew my sense of humor would come back to bite me in the ass some day. I just figured that it would be…"

"In a more dignified manner," Daniel suggested.

"By the Goua'ld," Teal'c stated.

"Done by a superior officer as you got kicked out of the military," Sam added.

"Yes to all three," Jack admitted.

Jack eventually gave up pretending to be mad, Sam and Daniel's laughter ringing in his ears.

----

Sam had to park several blocks down from Jack's house, now their house when she went home on Friday night. Cars and trucks lined the street. Sam wondered what was going on at her house, because she could see the people out on the front lawn. Last she knew Jack hadn't planned anything for that night. They were planning on moving the kids into their new rooms that weekend. But it looked like Jack had decided to throw a party instead!

Sam was greeted by various SGC personnel as she made her way into the house, noticing that many of them were carrying boxes or putting together pieces of furniture. She eventually found Jack on the first floor, at the very end of the house, in the room that she had thought was going to be the guest bedroom.

"Jack what's going on?" She asked.

"Ummm, housewarming party?" he joked.

Sam gave him 'the look' the one said 'you're going to be sleeping on the couch if you don't explain yourself right now'.

"We don't exactly need anything for a wedding present so a group of them got together and offered to help us move everything around tonight," Jack explained as he got up and dusted his hands off.

"That was all they wanted?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow in a Teal'c-like fashion.

"We also wanted to throw him a bachelor party and have some sort of wedding reception but Jack nixed them both," Dave Dixon said from underneath the desk he was helping Jack put together.

Sam looked at Jack who quickly explained, "I know you're not big on the whole big wedding circus and the bachelor party, well I did that once."

"Dave, you're more than welcome to throw Jack a bachelor party," Sam said as the man stood up, "You just have to take Nate along to chaperon."

"Nate?" Dave asked.

"My thirteen year old nephew," Jack clarified.

"So having a guy's weekend or something would be okay?" Dave asked looking at Sam for confirmation.

"As long as you don't mind letting us girls have our own weekend too," Sam stipulated.

"If you agree to hold down the fort at the SGC for the weekend on light staff; you've got a deal," Dixon offered.

Sam held out her hand and the two shook on it.

----

It didn't take long for Sam to figure out that Jack had added more space onto the house then he had originally talked about. The downstairs addition had two rooms that would serve as offices for the two of them separated by a pair of sliding wood doors that could be opened to allow communication between the two rooms or closed for privacy.

The living room was also larger, making room for a bigger TV and more furniture to seat their expanding family. Upstairs, she found that Cassie and Lindsay were in the process of moving their belongings into their own rooms, leaving a third room empty to serve as a guest room. Nate had opted to keep his original room at the other end of the house.

Sam did like her wedding present though. With all the help they got from the SGC personnel, it only took three hours on Friday night to move everything that would have otherwise taken her family most of the weekend.

Dixon had quickly organized 'boys' time' for the following weekend so that Daniel could attend before leaving the following week on The Orion. Sam had been pleased with his choice of a hockey game followed by a day of hiking. When Nate and Jack had returned, they had been worn out, but were in the best of moods.

Sam had looked into making her own plans for a girls' night out, but when a problem came up with the hyperdrive on The Orion, Sam found herself unable to get away. She spent three days and nights on The Orion trying to sort out the problem before Jack had ordered her home for 24 hours of downtime. Sam suspected that he was tired of sleeping alone more than anything else, but considering how well he had taken care of her, Sam had no reason to protest.

Two months later, a lot of things had happened.

Sam had turned over day-to-day running of SG-1 to Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, who had sailed through his off world training with flying colors. Jack and Sam had conferred with Cam before giving him temporary command, explaining that while he would have day-to-day command, SG-1 was still Sam's to take in the field when needed. Cam had taken the news rather well and had set about trying to find acceptable candidates to fill the team, and had come up with no one, despite the multiple applicants.

Then, Daniel had missed going to Atlantis when he was bonded with his new 'friend' Vala. The resulting treasure hunt to remove the bracelets had brought Teal'c back to the SGC. Cam had been thrilled as the majority of SG-1 was now reunited, but Sam was kept busy catching up on all the things she had missed while away from the SGC making preperations for the The Orion's trip to Atlantis.

Then, while the newly reformed SG-1 had returned from Avalon, Sam had found herself working with the Asgard to update some of the systems on the Prometheus. So Sam hadn't even known that Daniel was in danger until he was already out of it-something that resulted in Jack getting an earful when they got home that evening. She did relent a little bit after she found out everything that had been going on while Daniel and Vala had lain in the infirmary. It almost seemed like the brief respite that the destruction of the major Goa'uld had brought was being replaced by an even stronger enemy in the Ori.

Even Nate and Lindsay could tell there was something going on. For Thanksgiving, they had been taken by an Airman to catch a plane to visit their grandparents as Sam and Jack were too busy to do it themselves. Sam felt like she was being pulled in too many directions, and Jack once more felt like he was carrying the weight of the whole galaxy on his shoulders. It seemed like they took turns going home in order to be there for Lindsay and Nate. But despite their efforts, they both knew that they weren't really there. They ended up in their offices to the point that the kids had gotten comfortable answering the phone to find someone from the White House on the phone. It all came to a head two weeks before Christmas when Lindsay asked if they were going to have Christmas.

Sam had looked at her in shock. "Of course we're going to have Christmas Lindsay."

"No, I mean are you and Uncle Jack going to actually be home for Christmas? Or are we going to spend Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa?" Lindsay asked.

Sam blinked and then motioned for her to sit down. "You know that Jack and I wanted to spend Thanksgiving with you. It's just…things came up at work and…"

"I know Aunt Sam. With the number of calls coming from the White House in the past couple of months I know that there is something going on, something that you can't tell Nate and me about. I guess I'm feeling kind of neglected," Lindsay attempted to explain while displaying the Carter intellect with the use of big words.

Jack stood in the doorway and looked at his niece. "You know, Sam and I are going to do everything in our power to make your first Christmas with us special," Jack claimed. "I was thinking that we invite everyone over for the big Christmas dinner, Daniel, Teal'c, and even Cam."

"I thought we were going to your cabin for Christmas this year," Nate objected from beside Jack.

"Not this year son," Jack lamented.

"What are you doing inside that mountain that is so important that you two can't get away for a few days?" Nate demanded.

"We can't tell you Nate, you know that," Sam said.

Nate stalked from the room with Lindsay not far behind.

Sam sat at her desk in tears. "Why did I ever think that I could be a mom? I can't even be a good Aunt to my niece and nephew!" Sam claimed.

"You'll be a wonderful mom someday Sam," Jack promised, attempting to soothe his wife as he ran his fingers through her hair. "And we do what we can with Lindsay and Nate."

"I promised myself that I would not be like my father who was never home, and that's exactly what I've become!"

"No you haven't," Jack insisted. "One of us is home every night for dinner, unless we have an emergency-"

"Which happens at least twice a week. And even when we do come home, we usually end up locking ourselves in our offices taking care of whatever we didn't get done at the base. When was the last time we did something other than have dinner with them?" Sam asked.

Jack thought about it. "We went to D.C. with them. But that was two months ago," Jack admitted as he took Sam's hand.

"Exactly. And here we are thinking about adding another child to this family. What are we thinking?" Sam questioned as she permitted Jack pull her up so that he could hold her in his arms.

Jack tried to bite his tongue but he knew he had to say it. "Maybe we should hold off on adding to the family until we get this thing with the Ori figured out," Jack suggested, trying not to sound overly happy at getting out of their earlier decision. "If we have kids, I want to be there for them."

"Me too," Sam relented, though she wondered just how long the wait might be. "We'll wait."

"Now let's go find those two kids and start planning for Christmas," Jack ordered.

----


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Jack and Sam did go find Nate and Lindsay, and they did make plans for a great Christmas dinner, complete with all the trimmings. Jack even took an afternoon off to take Nate out and cut down a tree with him.

"You know that your aunt and I have really important jobs," Jack began as they walked around, trying to find the perfect tree, "And if we could be home more, we would be."

"I guess," Nate said.

"No Nate, we would be," Jack promised as he turned to look at the thirteen year old. "If I had things my way, I would have retired not long after marrying Sam but the President wouldn't let me. Sam and I both have something called a stop hold on our files which pretty much means that unless we die; we'll be in the Air Force."

"You're not going to die are you?" Nate asked, suddenly turning to his uncle with concern evident on his face.

Jack sighed and closed his eyes before looking the young man in front of him in the eye. "Sam and I have dangerous jobs, her more than me, but we do everything that we can to stay safe. I have the best people in the world under my command."

"But you work under a mountain for cryin' out loud! How dangerous can it be?"

"You know I can't tell you Nate, maybe someday we'll be able to and I hope then that you'll understand the reason that we made the choices that we did," Jack offered. "In the meantime, how about we get this tree home?"

"Okay."

----

The whole time they were making plans for Christmas Day, Sam felt like she was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Two days before Christmas, Sam felt that shoe drop. Jack and Sam were sitting in Jack's office, waiting for the President to call. The whole base knew something was up. Rarely, did Jack and Sam meet behind closed doors on base, and even rarer when they asked not to be interrupted. Yet when the phone call came through, it was Jack that had to inform the base personnel that many of them would have to alter their plans for Christmas.

He stood before them in the gateroom, for an impromptu speech, something that he had never done before. He knew what had to deliver was not good news. His only comfort was having Sam at his side, along with his 2IC Colonel John Reynolds.

"As many of you know, we have received some intelligence from a rather unique source. While we cannot confirm this information, we have not been able to deny it either. As it stands now, we believe that the Ori have somehow dialed into our galaxy from their own galaxy," Jack stated.

Murmurs went through the crowd, but quickly silenced when Jack raised his hand.

"Colonel Carter will be leading the mission to try and take out a force field that we believe has been constructed around the gate. Joining her on this mission will be SG-1, 13, and 15. The President has authorized the use of the naquadria enhanced warhead. For the rest of the teams, I'm being forced to cancel all leave until further notice. You'll be assigned to one of two groups; each will be working a 12 hour shift. Those of you not on duty, need to know that if anything happens, you will be recalled immediately. I know this is the holiday season folks, and I'm going to do my best to work it so that as many of you as possible can be with your families. Team leaders can get that information from Reynolds in one hour and need to relay that to the rest of their team. Briefing for those teams going on a mission in 30 minutes in the briefing room, be sure that you are geared to go before that. Dismissed," Jack finished.

Quickly Jack left the gate room, Sam following behind him. "Do you want me to call Lindsay and Nate or are you going to do it?" Jack asked.

"I'll do it," Sam offered as she entered SG-1's locker room and began changing clothes. Jack, knowing exactly what she needed, began pulling items out and handing them to her. It didn't take her more than a few minutes to be fully outfitted, minus the requisite P-90.

They opened the door to the locker room to admit Daniel, Teal'c, Cameron, and Vala. By the fact that they still weren't sure about separating her from Daniel, Vala would be going on this mission.

Jack led the way to his office where he picked up the phone and dialed their home number, handing the phone to Sam. Sam handed him her vest while she sat down in his chair.

The phone call didn't take long, and went much as Sam had expected. Nate and Lindsay were disappointed that all their plans would be for not, and didn't seemed very receptive to Sam's promise that they would have Christmas when she got back. Sam knew she couldn't dwell on her family problems right now; her people needed her full attention right now.

Jack glanced at the people gathering in the briefing room and then at his wife who was putting her vest back on. He put a hand under her chin and forced her to look at him. "I'll call Hammond and see if he would mind a few extras for Christmas dinner this year," Jack offered. "You just worry about coming back to us," Jack ordered.

"Yes sir," Sam said and leaned in to kiss Jack, "Just don't kill Nerus while I'm gone. There would be way too much paperwork to fill out."

Meanwhile, Sam and Jack's actions were being observed by everyone in the briefing room. Lieutenant Colonel Joe Huey stood next to Colonel Dave Dixon and asked, "Why is Colonel Carter leading a military mission when she's a scientist?"

Dixon gave him a glance, "She designed the bomb that we're using."

Huey's mouth formed an 'O' as Sam and Jack emerged, the officers that were sitting down, coming to stand out of respect for the General. Jack nodded to Sam indicating for her to begin what would be one of the most informal mission briefings ever conducted at the SGC. Less the 40 minutes after Jack's speech in the gate room, Sam was leading her strike force through the gate.

Reynolds stood beside Jack and watched. "They'll be fine sir," he reassured Jack. "There's no one better to do this."

Jack nodded his head and headed for his office, intent on calling Hammond and then the President.

Reynolds followed him, and shut the door. "Sir, if you don't mind me asking, why did you send Huey and Dixon with SG-1 instead of my team. I would think that my team was more qualified for a purely military assignment than SG-13 or 15."

Jack looked at him. "If things go to hell out there, the only person I trust other than me to lead the recovery mission is you."

Those words were high praise from Jack O'Neill, and Reynolds knew that. "What do you think of Huey?" Reynolds asked, trying to distract Jack from the mission that was currently going on.

"Huey? Why do ask?" Jack counter questioned.

"He's said some things, and done some things that have made me a little wary of him," Reynolds said hesitantly.

Now Jack raised an eyebrow. "I know he had a little problem with Carter when he first got here, but I hadn't heard anything else until now. What do you know?" he asked slightly concerned about having sent a man that Reynolds didn't like on a mission with his wife.

"Not much more than that," John Reynolds admitted, "But I've overheard comments from some of the younger officers and SFs that he's disrespectful, treats them like dirt, more so than the normal officer does and way worse than they deserve."

"He came recommended by Landry who received the recommendation from someone else. At that time, we needed a new team leader and I was desperate. And now with the Ori, I'd need a good reason to transfer an experienced team leader out unless I had a good one to transfer in and replace him," Jack explained.

"What about Mitchell?" Reynolds suggested. "With Sam moving back to SG-1…"

"She's not moving back," Jack stated with an air of finality.

"Then I guess we're stuck with him unless we come up with someone better for the job," Reynolds summarized.

"Pretty much," Jack agreed as he picked up the phone to call Hammond.

----

The battle had gone rather well and even with the loss of Vala, Sam considered it to have been a decisive victory. But seeing the lengths that Ori were willing to go to get into their galaxy, Sam knew she hadn't seen the last of them.

"You know this isn't the last time that the Ori will try this," Cam stated as they walked towards the infirmary.

"Probably," Sam agreed.

"You could come back to SG-1," Cam offered. "Lead the team again."

Sam stopped and looked at him. Suddenly she was seeing two of Cam and then nothing.

----

Jack got a message from the Prometheus that the mission had been a success, with little to no damage to the ship, and no serious injuries, he had been a very happy General. Yet when the SG teams came through the gate, they were calling for a medical unit and his wife was the one on the stretcher.

"What happened?" he demanded watching as the medical team rushed to her aid.

"I was talking to her, and then all of a sudden she passed out," Cam explained. "She hit her head before I could catch her."

"She'll be fine Jack," Dixon assured him, "You and me both know that head wounds bleed a lot."

Jack looked the men around him in the eye, looking for any sign that they might be misleading him, but saw no reason not to trust them. "All right. Briefing at 1000, and barring any unfortunate incident, the base will resume normal operations at 1100 hours. Infirmary and showers guys, I need to call the President," he declared and led the way from the room.

He needed to contact the President but first he was going to call Hammond and see about getting Lindsay and Nate here. It was time they found out just what their guardians did for a living. And if Sam woke up in time, they might get to spend Christmas Day together after all.

----

Dr. Carolyn Lam was the Chief Medical Officer at Stargate Command. She had seen and done many things in her life, but this was the first time that she had to deal with Colonel Samantha Carter's unique physiology. Carolyn had read her medical file and noted the many comments that the deceased Doctor Fraiser had left. The most important thing to note was Sam's reaction to many kinds of medication. Through trial and error, Sam and Fraiser had found medications that worked for her.

Those notes had also given Carolyn clues as to what to watch for, and if she was a betting woman, Carolyn would lay money on the medical officer of the Prometheus having given Sam the wrong medication. She drew some blood, and sent it off to be analyzed, asking for the full work up rather than the standard post-mission check-up that personnel usually received.

Then she turned her attention to Doctor Daniel Jackson. Everyone had told her that he would be her primary patient, and so far, he had lived up to that claim.

"You know Doctor Jackson, if you like the beds here so much, all you have to do is tell General O'Neill and I'm sure he would get you one for your quarters," she joked.

"Trust me, I'm not here for the beds or the food. How's Sam?" he asked.

"I think she'll be okay," Carolyn stated. "You don't by chance know which drugs they gave her do you?"

"Bad reaction to the medication again?" Daniel guessed and Carolyn nodded. "I don't know," he admitted, "But Cam or Teal'c might. They were the ones that brought her in."

"All right I'll check with them. If your test results come back clear, I may release you today," Carolyn ordered.

Carolyn continued away from the back of the infirmary towards the waiting area, checking with her various staff members as she went. Each of them had nothing to report, after all the only ones who had done any real work were SG-1, and even they had come through this mission without any permanent injuries.

She found a large group waiting, and she quickly picked Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell and Teal'c out of the crowd.

"How are they doc?" Cam asked the doctor.

"Doctor Jackson will be fine, Colonel Carter has me concerned. Do either of you by chance know what medication they gave her?" she asked.

Cam shook his head in the negative while Teal'c answered, "I do not."

Carolyn sighed. "I'll just have to wait and see what the lab results say," she accepted before returning to the infirmary so that she could call General O'Neill and give him her report.

----


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The briefing went off without a hitch, although Jack knew that Sam would have quite a bit to add when she finally regained consciousness. Dr. Lam had explained to him that she suspected the medical staff on the Prometheus had given her a medication that would not have long term effect on her-other than doing little to help the pain and briefly knock her out, but that she could not give her anything else until she knew for sure.

As to why she passed out in the first place, Jack had his own suspicions. Sam was known for missing meals if someone didn't remind her and they had both missed their fair share lately and neither of them had been getting enough sleep, something that was going to need to change.

Jack approached the infirmary, pausing just outside the door of the crowded waiting area when he heard voices speaking. "I just don't understand what all the fuss is about. She might be a beautiful Colonel but it's not like she does anything. Other than sleep her way up the ranks." The voice started to laugh at his own joke only to yelp "OW! What'd you do that for?" the man questioned now as Jack snuck a quick look around the corner.

There was Colonels Dave Dixon, Louis Ferretti, and John Reynolds pinning one Lieutenant Colonel Joe Huey up against the wall. Judging by the redness around both his eyes and some blood coming from his nose, he was going to look like a raccoon with a broken nose tomorrow. Quickly he ducked back around the corner and listened as the rest of the conversation played out.

"You know, you're lucky that Teal'c isn't here otherwise you'd be a lot worse off," Reynolds spat at the man.

"Colonel Carter earned every single promotion that she has ever received," Dixon added, "By saving people's lives. Every man, woman, and child on this planet owes her and the rest of SG-1 their lives many times over."

"Jack would tear you apart if he heard you talk about Sam like that," Ferretti claimed.

"No he wouldn't," Dixon reminded the men, "He'd wait until the Colonel was feeling better and let her take care of it. She's never needed someone to fight her battles for her."

Reynolds eyes lit up as he caught Jack's eye from the door. "And I suggest that if you value your life, you tell General O'Neill that you don't think you want to remain at the SGC."

"Why would I do that?" Huey asked in disbelief.

"Because I've already found a replacement for you," Jack stated from the door, anger showing on his face. If this statement surprised Reynolds, he didn't show it as Jack continued. "And you don't want to still be here when word gets around about how you feel towards one of the most respected people in this mountain."

"General O'Neill, I was just joking," Huey tried to say as the three men that had surrounded him parted to permit the General to stand and tower over the lower ranking officer.

"No you weren't," Jack declared, "And your request for a transfer has already been accepted. Last I heard, they were still looking for someone to do some work in Antarctica. I expect your paperwork on my desk before I leave today," Jack ordered.

Joe Huey knew when to give up, so he did the only thing he could. He came to attention and offered the Major General a crisp salute, which the General did not return. Instead, Jack nodded and said, "Dismissed."

Once Huey was out of the room, he turned to Reynolds and asked, "How is she?"

"Nothing's changed," Reynolds replied.

Jack collapsed into a chair, and then realized that there was someone in the room who wasn't supposed to be there. "Ferretti! What the hell are you doing here?"

Ferretti stepped back a bit but it was Reynolds who answered. "The guards at the surface called down and asked if they should give him security clearance when he arrived with Nate and Lindsay. I okayed it, is there a problem sir?"

"Nah!" Jack waved his hand. "It's not like there isn't anything down here that he didn't already know about. But I thought Hammond's daughter was bringing Nate and Lindsay, how did you end up with them?" Jack questioned.

Now Ferretti squirmed a little. "I was kind of at Hammond's house when you called and offered to bring them in."

"And just what were you doing there?" Jack asked.

Ferretti gulped. "I'm dating his daughter," Ferretti admitted.

Jack chuckled as did many of the others in the room and clapped his old friend on the shoulder. "You know, I won't even tease you about that if you'll do something for me," Jack offered.

Ferretti looked at Jack suspiciously as did everyone else in the room. General O'Neill would never pass up the opportunity to tease someone, least of all an old friend like Ferretti. "Go ahead," Ferretti said.

"Come back to the SGC. I'm one team leader short, and could use someone with your experience and tactical knowledge," Jack suggested and looked around the room to see every person there nodding their head in agreement.

Some of them had been trained by Ferretti, others had worked with him, and even more had just heard of his reputation in passing, but all of them knew that if General Jack O'Neill wanted this man to be part of the SGC, they wanted him there.

Ferretti too was looking around the room, taking in the looks of hope coming from Dixon and Reynolds. "How bad are things out there?" he asked.

Reynolds looked at Jack before speaking. "I think things are okay right now, but it's the calm before the storm. We defeated one enemy only to find make another. It will get worse before it get's better, but we can win this," he declared.

Dixon nodded his head in agreement.

"I'll do it," Ferretti said.

"Good, now what did you do with my niece and nephew?" Jack asked.

"I sent them with Teal'c and Cam to the mess to get something to eat. I figured you didn't want them exposed to any classified information," Dixon explained.

Jack turned an SF in the room and instructed him to get Teal'c, Cam, Lindsay, and Nate and take them to the briefing room. While the SF carried out his orders, Jack went to see Sam.

----

Sam woke up in the infirmary to see Dr. Carolyn Lam, the new CMO of the SGC standing over her bed, checking her vitals.

"Colonel Carter, how are you feeling?" Doctor Lam asked.

Sam tried to sit up, only to realize that she had a huge headache. "My head hurts," she admitted.

The dark haired doctor chuckled. "I suspect it does. It seems that you picked the one spot to pass out in the hallway where you would hit your head. Then there's the fact that the medical staff on the Prometheus gave you the wrong drugs and until those get out of your system, I can't give you anything."

At that point, Jack walked into the room. "Hey sleeping beauty has decided to join us," he smiled down at his wife as he took her hand.

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"You passed out in the hallway on the Prometheus," Jack answered.

Suddenly Sam remembered why she had been in the hallway. "Daniel!"

"Is perfectly fine," Daniel said from the bed next to her.

Sam looked at Carolyn for confirmation.

"I'm releasing him as long as his test results are normal and he promises to eat a meal and come back if he has any problems," Carolyn claimed.

Jack clapped his hands together, "Good! Then he can help me explain our jobs to Lindsay and Nate."

Sam looked at Jack in confusion, an expression which was mimicked on Daniel and Carolyn's faces.

"The President has authorized me to explain certain parts of our jobs to Nate and Lindsay. It seems the Asgard have been rather upset that they can't just beam me up from my house any more," Jack explained.

"That makes sense," Daniel agreed as a nurse handed Doctor Lam a couple of files.

She opened the first folder and glanced through the results. For just a second her eyes opened in shock, but she quickly hid it and opened the second file. "Doctor Jackson, you're free to go," Carolyn declared, "And you will be too Colonel Carter after I complete one more examination. She needs to stay off of her feet though," she ordered looking at Jack as she moved to unhook Daniel's IV.

"She will. We're going home and having a late Christmas dinner. You're more than welcome to join us doctor," Jack invited.

"Not this time General. I've already sent most of my staff home and I had planned to work today to give as many of them time with their families as possible. Besides I have reports to catch up on," Carolyn claimed. "I'll bring Sam up to the briefing room as soon as I'm finished with her," Carolyn offered, really wanting to get the two guys out of the infirmary as quickly as possible.

"We can tell when we're not wanted, right Daniel?" Jack asked. He leaned down to kiss Sam and then followed Daniel out of the room.

Carolyn pulled the curtain around Sam's bed. "When was your last period?" She asked.

Sam blinked several times as she began to count back in head and she realized just what was wrong with her, or maybe it was right with her.

"That's what I thought," Carolyn answered her own question as she pulled a chair up next to Sam.

"I've just been so busy that I didn't even realize," Sam explained.

"I understand. But you realize you're going to need to change some of that now. I'm no expert, especially with your unique body chemistry, so I'd like you to make an appointment to see your regular OBGYN to verify my test results. And you probably need to tell your husband," Carolyn stated with a small smile.

The thought of telling Jack filled Sam with fear. Jack was great with kids but he had out rightly said they should wait to have kids not that long ago. How would he feel about having a baby?

"Can we talk about this later?" Sam asked, really wanting to get away from everyone at this point.

"Sure," Carolyn assured her. She went about removing Sam's IV and handing her BDUs to change into

"And Carolyn, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep this little detail to yourself until I get a chance to tell the General myself," Sam requested, smiling slightly as she tried to project an air of happiness.

"Of course," Carolyn responded, imaging how that celebration would go.

----

Sam spent the rest of the day in a fog, or at least, that's what it seemed like to everyone around her, except Jack that is. Jack could tell something was rolling around in Sam's head, and Jack had to wonder what it was, but like always, he wanted to wait to press for details.

Of course, finding out just what Jack, Sam, Daniel, Teal'c, and Cam did for a living seemed to have created two monsters. Lindsay and Nate filled Christmas dinner with endless questions. Sam tried to stay upbeat for Nate and Lindsay's sake, but she was really having a hard time keeping up that façade when she had other things on her mind.

Two days later, the OBGYN confirmed what Dr. Lam and Sam had already known-Sam was pregnant. Now she had other things to figure out.

Like how she was going to tell her husband that she was pregnant. The times they had discussed having children, it had been a very one sided conversation, with Jack very reluctantly agreeing to the idea of trying. Lately he had been very adamant about waiting. Even Sam knew that trying and having were two very different things.

And they were most definitely past the trying stage.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. Despite the late hour, the cold, and the darkness, Sam went to Jack, laid a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "We need to talk," she declared.

Jack looked at her in surprise, but followed her actions in putting on her jacket and boots. Once outside, Jack put his hand in Sam's and began to walk towards the park in his neighborhood, taking the opportunity to admire the Christmas lights.

"You've been quiet the past few days," Jack casually mentioned.

"Huh, and here I thought I was doing a good job of hiding it," Sam joked as she let Jack wrap his arm around her shoulder, tucking her head into his side.

"I know you better than most," Jack reminded her, "So spill whatever it is."

Sam turned, causing Jack to do the same and moved them along a path in the park. "I want to have kids. Your kids, now," she declared.

Jack glanced down at Sam. "I'm not sure that's a good idea," Jack claimed.

"Why the hell not?" Sam demanded, pulling herself out of his grip.

"Because there's a war going on out there," Jack said, flinging his arms out as he spoke.

"There will probably always be a war going on out there," Sam reminded him. "I waited 8 years to marry you; I'm not going to wait 8 more to have kids. I can't wait that long," she admitted.

"I love you Sam," Jack said as he ran his thumb over her cheek, "But I think having kids right now would be a mistake."

Tears poured down Sam's cheeks as Jack walked away, leaving her standing there alone as it began to snow.

Daniel found her sitting on a park bench a half hour later, eyes puffy and a few tears still falling. "Oh Sam," he whispered as he pulled her into his arms, hugging her for all she was worth. "What's wrong?"

"I'm pregnant," Sam sobbed into his shoulder. She could feel the shock rip through Daniel's body at that announcement.

"That's great news!" he exclaimed. "You'll be a wonderful mother. Have you told Jack yet?"

Sam pulled back a little so that she could look at Daniel. "I tried to but he made it perfectly clear that he did not want us to have kids right now."

Daniel looked at her confused. "We are talking about Jack here right? The guy that dotes on Cassie, risked his job so that a kid could have some fun, AND the guy that once told me that he loves Nate and Lindsay as much as he did Charlie."

Daniel looked at Sam closely before continuing. "He's scared Sam. Think about what it was like for him with Charlie, being gone all the time, never seeing him and then his son kills himself with Jack's gun."

"Then why didn't he just say that?" Sam questioned.

"Because he's Jack. He doesn't say things like that," Daniel patiently reminded her.

"I guess," Sam accepted, wiping a few tears from her eyes.

"Come on," Daniel said, prodding her to get up. "Let's get you inside. Being cold can't be good for you."

"Sam?" a voice asked from behind Daniel and Sam. Daniel could feel Sam stiffen under his arm.

Sam took a deep breath and moved out of Daniel's embrace. She gave Daniel a look that clearly said 'you can go now, I can handle him'. Daniel gave Sam another hug and then walked past Jack giving him a look that said 'Don't screw this up'.

Daniel walked away, hoping that he was doing the right thing.

----

Sam steeled herself for Jack's questions.

Jack came to stand in front of her, and Sam could see the worry on his face. "Why is having a baby so important to you right now?" he asked.

"Because I'm tired of waiting," Sam stated.

Jack sighed. "I love you Sam. I love Cassie and Nate and Lindsay, and I still don't think this is the time for a baby. But I'm willing to try if that's what you really want," he proclaimed, but he knew that Sam would be able to tell that his heart just wasn't in it.

"I want to have a baby, your baby," Sam repeated. "And when you're really ready to support that decision, then let me know Jack. You can't jump into this half-heartedly."

Sam walked past Jack and headed back to their house. She went to bed alone that night and woke up alone the next morning. There was no sign that Jack had ever slept there last night.

----

AN: I know this is a horrible place to end the chapter, but it just seemed to work, so I'm sorry for that. One of my readers asked how long this story will go on for, and the answer would be that I don't plan for this story to be longer than 30 chapters, although I may be encouraged write a sequel that concentrates on someone else's POV and interactions if the interest is there. More details on that later, but in the meantime-thanks to all of you who have reviewed this story so far! Your reviews make my day and let me know that you are actually reading the story! They are very much appreciated, so if you haven't reviewed yet-just give me one by the end of the story and you'll make my day! P.S. If there is anything that you want to see resolved before the end of the story, let me know and I'll try to get it done!


	23. Chapter 23

AN: As a reward for your patience, here is an extra long chapter! Thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter! This chapter should resolve most of the questions that you guys had!

----

Chapter 23

"_I want to have a baby, your baby," Sam repeated. "And when you're really ready to support that decision, then let me know Jack. You can't jump into this half-heartedly." _

_Sam walked past Jack and headed back to their house. She went to bed alone that night and woke up alone the next morning. There was no sign that Jack had ever slept there last night._

----

Indeed, Jack hadn't gone home the night before, other than to get in his truck and drive to the base. He tried sleeping in his quarters on base, but everything about the room reminded him of Sam. It wasn't often that they slept in this bed together, but it was the only bed that either of them slept in on base anymore. Sam had given up her own quarters as soon as they had gotten married. The pillow smelled like her, the extra blanket that had found its way onto the bed because Sam got cold, was still there. But Sam wasn't.

Realizing that he wasn't going to sleep, he went to his office and tried to do some paperwork.

As morning came, Daniel and Teal'c found their way into Jack's office. As soon as Daniel had left Sam and Jack, he had gone to the base to work. When Teal'c had wandered into his office a couple of hours later, Daniel had filled Teal'c in on the latest news in the saga of Jack and Sam's love life.

Teal'c had expressed much of the same excitement as Daniel at the idea of Sam having a baby, although you would have to know him really well in order to see it! It seemed the big hearted Jaffa wanted nothing more than to have small children around to spoil. And if his treatment of Lindsay and Nate was any thing to measure by, baby O'Neill was probably going to be the most spoiled and loved baby in the entire universe.

Daniel took one look at Jack and knew that he was going to have to give his friend the kick in the ass that he deserved.

"You know," Daniel began, "In all the years that I have known you, I thought that you had finally smarted up. You married the woman you loved for eight years; literally adopted her niece and nephew, and the two of you are the happiest I have ever seen you."

"I too have noticed a change in your disposition O'Neill," Teal'c added.

"I am happy guys, happier than I ever thought I would be after I lost Charlie," Jack admitted.

"Then why did I find Sam crying her eyes out about having a baby?" Daniel demanded.

Jack looked at Daniel and Teal'c with an expression that said 'Stay out of our business'. "Because right now is not the right time to have a baby. We can't make it home for Lindsay and Nate, let alone for a baby."

"So you're just going to ignore the fact that in less than nine months, you're going to be a father," Daniel prodded.

Jack opened his month to deny it and then realized that was what he was doing.

"Hold on? I'm going to be a dad?" Jack asked, his eyes opening wide in shock.

Daniel nodded in confirmation.

For the first time since Sam had talked with him, Jack realized the implications of her words-she hadn't just been testing the idea, it was an actuality. He was going to be a dad again! He put his head in his hands and murmured, "Sam must hate me right now."

"I don't think she's ever hated you. Even after the whole Edora episode," Daniel commented, "But I bet she's really scared and worried right now."

"I'm sure," Jack said as he stood up, putting on his BDU jacket and headed for the door of his office, intent on finding Sam and apologizing as soon as possible.

Teal'c stopped him by standing in front of him. "O'Neill I feel it is my duty to inform you that if you ever hurt Colonel Carter in this manner again, there is no way by which you can gain my forgiveness. A child is a blessing at any time in a man's life that he or she chooses to come. For Colonel Carter, I believe she feels this to be even truer."

Jack looked at Teal'c and raised an eyebrow, questioning why this was such a blessing. Receiving no response, he looked to Daniel who tried not to falter under Jack's gaze but eventually failed.

"Back when we were all on SG-1, we found her crying her eyes out in her lab one day. After a couple beers we were able to drag out of her that she had Janet run some tests on her. Janet had told her that her chance of having a baby was less than 10 and would only decrease with age," Daniel hesitantly explained.

Jack was floored, he had seen the reports but didn't realize her chances were that bad. "I never realized-"

"She never wanted you to know," Daniel cut him off. "And the only reason I'm telling you now is so that you'll understand her irrational fear that something is going to go wrong."

"Nothing will go wrong," Jack adamantly promised.

----

Jack found Sam in her lab, just like he had suspected. With her promotion to Colonel and move to co-commander of the base, her office had been moved so that it was now the closest one to his office. Of course, she had kept her lab, the same one she had started with over eight years. When she had left to take the R&D position, Jack had refused to assign the lab to anyone else, hoping that Sam would one day come back to the SGC. Even though she didn't spend nearly as much time there today as she did in those years she was the 2IC of SG-1, it was still her place of refuge.

Jack paused in the doorway and just watched her work. Despite a slight puffiness to her eyes, Jack could almost feel the happiness that she was radiating. He had been worried that their argument, the first of their marriage, especially considering what it was about, would have upset her. It seemed that she had made a decision not to let Jack's words affect her.

Sam knew the second that Jack stepped into her lab, but like she had for many years, she ignored him, figuring that he deserved the silent treatment. She had no idea what he had come here to say, but she knew that unless he changed his attitude about the two of them having kids, their marriage was going to fail.

Jack cleared his throat and Sam looked up. "Sir?"

"Sam."

"Can I help you with something General?" Sam asked, ignoring his attempt to start a personal conversation.

"Please, Sam we need to talk," Jack begged.

"You made your opinion clear last night Jack and we agreed no personal conversations at work. So if you have something else to say, it will have to wait until I get home tonight. Probably around 1800 hours," Sam declared.

Jack looked at her openmouthed. She was mad! Yes they had made the rule about no personal conversations at work, but they violated it all the time. The fact she had chosen to invoke it told Jack just how badly she had been hurt by his actions and words the previous night. And just how scared she must be that she was going to lose him.

Jack nodded. "Then I'll see you tonight, 1800 hours." Jack turned to leave the room but paused before going out the door. "Sam, just remember I love you, always" he said leaving her with the only words he had to let her know how he felt.

----

They ended up sitting outside again, this time on Jack's stargazing platform. Jack wasn't sure if Sam had forgiven him or was just cold when she snuggled up next to him on the roof.

"It's not that I don't want kids Sam, it's just that-" Jack started to say.

Sam stopped him with a finger to his lips and took his hand. She unzipped her jacket and put his hand on her stomach, where their child was growing. "Do you want this baby? Don't," she admonished him when he started to speak again, "Because you either want me and this baby or you don't want either of us."

Jack's eyes opened wide with shock. "How could you ever think I didn't want you? I love you Sam and I promise you that I'm going to be the best dad I can possibly be for this baby," he vowed. "This may not be the best time for us to add to our family. BUT when has anything ever been the right time for us?"

Sam smiled at him. A full Sam Carter 1000 watt smile, that made Jack's toes curl. And then she turned to him, a dark look on her face and glared at him. "If you ever do that to me again, Jack O'Neill I swear I'll…never go fishing with you again," she finished kind of lamely but it seemed that she had gotten her point across.

Jack instantly apologized and pulled her inside, intent on spending as much time that evening making it up to her as she would let him.

----

The next months flew by quickly. Sam had agreed to Jack's demand of no more missions through the Stargate to unsafe planets. Though they both knew that labeling a planet safe really didn't mean much, but they would just have to evaluate trips through the gate on a case by case basis. Considering the amount of work Sam could do in her lab in lieu of missions, neither of them thought that it would be too hard for her to keep busy.

Baal's appearance on Earth had resulted in a rare on-world mission. Sam had to do some fast talking to keep Jack from ordering her and his unborn child away from that mission. The revelation that Ba'al had been cloning himself had almost been too much for Jack to take. Sam had been woken more than one night after that by Jack having a nightmare. Though he had found it quite funny that Agent Barrett hadn't heard that her and Jack had gotten married, Sam wondered if he laughed so hard because the story was that good or if it was because he relieved that she was safe.

It was only after Sam managed to pull Jack away from the base early one afternoon that the nightmares seemed to disappear. Together, they journeyed to the Academy Hospital.

After a short while, Jack had been called to join Sam and Doctor Jane Early, the woman who would hopefully be delivering their baby.

"General O'Neill, it's a pleasure to meet you," Jane greeted the man.

Jack had shaken her hand in greeting, and turned his attention to Sam who was in a hospital gown, and positioned for an ultrasound.

"Now I understand that you don't want to know the sex of the baby," Jane commented as she spread gel on Sam's stomach.

"I don't," Sam confirmed while Jack nodded his head in agreement. Jack didn't care one way or the other-but he wasn't going to argue with Sam.

Jane flipped on the screen, which had been carefully positioned so that neither Sam nor Jack could see it. "Hmm," the doctor said, smiling slightly as she got her first look at what was on the screen. She made a few notes in Sam's chart and then glanced at Jack. "Why don't you have a seat General and I'll introduce you," She offered. This wouldn't be the first time she had to deliver this kind of news, and if experience had taught her anything, she needed to make sure that all those present were sitting down when it happened, otherwise she might end up with another patient!

Jack hesitantly took the offered chair as Jane stood up. "I've known about Sam's unique body chemistry for quite some time, but considering where she works and how often the SGC is put on lock down, I'm going to suggest that you have a contingency plan in place in case something happens that she goes into labor early and is unable to leave the mountain," she suggested.

"I thought it was normal for first time pregnancies to be late though," Jack commented.

"They are," Jane reassured them, "But there are other factors to take into consideration. Take a look." Jane turned to the monitor so that they could see.

"As you can see, this is baby O'Neill number one," Jane said as she ran her finger over the outline of the first baby. "And this is baby O'Neill number two," she pointed out the second baby.

Silence filled the room, before Jack began smiling and the first of what Jane guessed would be many suggestions for baby names.

"So Bart and Lisa then?" he grinned innocently at Sam.

----

Then the very next mission, Cameron had been captured by the Jaffa of the Sodan. By this time, Sam was just beginning to show in her pregnancy, something that most people were clueless about, though if the rumors were true, the betting pools had recently taken off! Sam had convinced Jack to wait until they knew what had happened to Cameron for sure before making the announcement of her pregnancy because otherwise, they might have to find someone else to lead SG-1 in her absence.

For the time being, they could just pretend that Sam was too busy to go in the field.

When they had just about to give up hope of being able to continue an official search, Cam returned. While they hadn't gained an official ally, even Sam had to agree that the warriors of the Sodan had potential.

That night, Jack and Sam invited SG-1 and Lam to their house. After the group, which also included Cassie, Lindsay, and Nate made 6 pizzas disappear, they gathered in the living room. Before they began what was supposed to be a movie night, Jack cleared his throat and held Sam's hand as they stood in front of the TV.

"Some of you already know, but for those of you who don't, we felt it was important to let you in on the secret before we told the rest of the base next week," Jack explained.

"I'm pregnant," Sam stated, "With twins."

Shock registered on everyone's faces. Those who already had known she was pregnant, save Carolyn, hadn't known about the twins, and the rest hadn't known at all. Within seconds, Sam and Jack were engulfed in hugs from the different members of their family.

----

The problem caused by the gate forwarding program and Goua'ld-human hybrid was just the first in a series of dangerous problems faced by the base. The discovery of Anubis's lab led to Sam's first off-world trip since she found out she was pregnant. Jack's original reservations about sending her had turned out to be false as she once again saved them all.

Next came the Prior plague and Orlin's return to human form. This put Jack into a funk but he was generally excited when got to off world for the first time in months as he helped take down the Ori Prior. The best news Sam got during that trying time was that the virus had no effect on her babies, something that she had been worried about since the outbreak of the disease.

By the time those two threats had been eliminated, everyone on the base could tell that Sam was pregnant, four months along in fact. So Sam bit the bullet and stood with Jack as they announced that they were expecting two additions to their family. It took several days for everyone in the mountain to feel like they no longer needed to congratulate the couple at every turn.

Time flew by though, as the SGC prepared for the arrival of the Carter-O'Neill twins. A room was prepared on the same level as the infirmary to serve as a nursery for the twins as soon as they were born. The infirmary also gained some new equipment that was long overdue. The number of refugees that filtered through the SGC each year often included pregnant women. It was almost a surprise that a baby hadn't been born in the SGC yet!

So Doctor Lam made room for baby equipment, especially some specialized equipment that would be useful if the babies were born prematurely, something that no one wanted but felt they needed to plan for.

Then Cam had been forced to deal with the thought that he had killed someone in cold blood and then a painful memory from his past. Again, Sam had gotten to go off world to explore the Galarans' memory technology. Sam had used her stubborn streak to get Jack to let her stay with Cam. She knew that he needed someone there to lean on and she talked Jack into letting her stay until they cleared Cam.

After Cam got back, Jack took the younger man, who reminded many of a younger Jack, out for a couple of beers and Cam returned the following week in a much better state of mind. From there on out, there was no doubt in Jack's mind that Cam was the perfect choice for SG-1 and someone worthy of watching his old team's six.

There was also the weird occurrence where SG-1, minus Sam, had been stranded off world for a period of time and were out of contact for almost a week. Everyone feared the worst, especially Dr. Lam, who Sam discovered had a crush on Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell. But SG-1 returned and spun a tale about dialing into an alternate Earth!

At slightly less than six months pregnant, Teal'c was kidnapped and tortured while Cam struggled with the impending death of his friend. Jack planned and led the rescue mission to retrieve Teal'c. Sam had been forced to stay behind and wait for news on the status of the mission. Cam had come back through the gate to find Sam waiting with the news of his friend's death.

Then the free Jaffa had voted for democracy. All those events resulted in an impromptu weekend at the O'Neill household that involved pizza, movies, and even alcohol, for those able and willing to drink it.

The next mission hadn't been any easier; Daniel had ended up being held prisoner. The Prometheus had been destroyed and they had lost Colonel Pendergast. But that mission had been hardest on the new temporary member of SG-1, Jennifer Hailey. Hailey had been able to pull a great idea out of her…head for disabling the satellite for a short time. While no one had been able to save the planet from total destruction, Daniel had been able to broker a deal which allowed the Earth personnel to get home safely.

Now at about seven months pregnant, Sam was forced to wait with Jack for news of SG-1 as they went looking for the source of the kassa that everyone had become addicted to. Posing as buyers SG-1 went to the planet, only to have the Stargate beamed away right before their eyes by Ba'al. Jack and Sam were left to wait as they couldn't get a lock on the gate. Jack had resorted to visiting their resident Goa'uld for help, and had once more outsmarted everyone by planting a beacon so that they could track Nerus.

Still, Sam had been worried and had later found out that her fear hadn't been misplaced when someone let it slip in the briefing that if the Odyssey had been just a few seconds later-twice- one or more member of SG-1 probably wouldn't have made it back alive. That someone probably wished that he had died after Jack got done shooting him a glare, along with Daniel, Teal'c, and Hailey.

Cam apologized profusely to Jack later in private, promising to babysit the twins for a weekend after they were born so that Jack and Sam could have some 'alone time'.

Sam found out several months after the twins were born that Jack had most of the base shaking in their boot at the mere thought of causing Colonel Carter stress.

SG-1's next mission wasn't any easier. They were sent off world with a contingent of IOA representatives-baby sitting, Cam had called it, and Sam had to agree with him. The worst part had been receiving the order to create a payload capable of destroying the new Ori threat that the bugs represented. Sam had done it though, with some help from Dr. Lee, and Jack had reluctantly seen it beamed aboard the Odyssey for delivery, knowing that he could be killing some of his best friends.

They waited together, curled up on the couch in Sam's office, for news, occupying their time by discussing baby names.

"Bart and Lisa," Jack suggested with a smirk on his face.

"No."

"What about Thor and Anna then?"

"We are not naming our child after one of our allies!" Sam put her foot down. "We need two boys names, and two girls names Jack. Normal, Earth names."

"What kind of names are you think of?"

"Ryan, Patrick, Jonathan, Daniel, or Tyler."

Jack looked in Sam's eyes and squirmed a little bit. He wasn't sure how this suggestion would go over, especially given the extreme mood swings Sam had experienced recently. "What about Jacob George for boy number one and Ryan Daniel for boy number two? If we have just one boy, we could combine them to Jacob Ryan. When I asked Teal'c for a suggestion for a name, he said he 'had a certain fondness for the given name Ryan," Jack explained.

Sam gaped at Jack and burst into tears, burying her head in Jack's chest.

Convinced that he had screwed up, Jack soothingly rubbed Sam's back and back peddled. "We don't have to use any of those names, I just thought you know you might…"

Sam lifted her head from Jack's chest, and looked him in the eye. "Think they're perfect? Jacob George O'Neill and Ryan Daniel O'Neill. They just sound right," Sam proclaimed.

"Okay, but since I picked the boy names, you get to pick the girl names," Jack commanded.

Sam never got to answer because Walter brought the communication from the Odyssey, and Sam felt the weight lift off of her shoulders. Besides, thanks to a slip from Thor, she already knew she wouldn't be naming either of the twins, even if she hadn't told anyone else that yet.

"She figured it out," Sam sighed in relief into Jack's chest, as he wrapped her up in his strong arms.

"She had a good teacher," Jack reminded her, trying not to let his relief show.

Sam had explained to him her theory, after pouring over the reports of the planet, for what Jennifer Hailey would have to do to boost the signals of SG-1's transmitters.

Jack hadn't understood much of it, but he had let her talk, knowing that as long as she was concentrating on solving the problem, she wasn't worrying about her teammates who were part of her family.

Dr. Lam and Jack had had many conversations about how to keep Sam from being stressed out, both knowing that stress was not good for her or the babies. Neither of them could really come up with any solution. Sam refused to take maternity leave. Though she had cut her hours in her lab and office back quite a bit, that didn't translate into less hours on the base. Instead, she often spent that time sleeping in their quarters.

They both gave up weekends on base as much as they could, giving command of the base over to George Hammond for those two days that were reserved for family unless an emergency came up. Ever since Sam had began to show, the Carter-O'Neill household had started preparing for the arrival of the twins.

The twins would have the two bedrooms closest to Sam and Jack's room; effectively making that end of the house the 'boy's end' as Nate's room was also there, though no one but Sam knew that. Cassie and Lindsay's rooms would remain at the other end of the house, along with the guest bedroom.

At exactly eight months pregnant, Sam was working in her lab when Cam stopped by.

----


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

_At exactly eight months pregnant, Sam was working in her lab when Cam stopped by. _

Jack had been called to D.C. and Sam hadn't been able to sleep without him there. She had given up trying when a little bit of back pain had kicked in around 0100. Having slept on base, Sam just made her way to her lab to work with a device that had been one of the last recovered from Glastonbury six months ago. Sam had a feeling that the device was important-now only if she could get it to work.

"Please tell me that you didn't sleep here last night?" Cam almost begged. "General O'Neill will have my head if you did."

"Of course not," Sam assured him, "I slept in my quarters on base."

"Sam," Cam groaned already wondering what kind of punishment the base commander would give him for letting his eight month pregnant wife sleep on base AND work in her lab before the majority of people had even made it on base.

"I have to figure this out Cam," Sam insisted.

"You will, after we have breakfast," Cam insisted.

"Oka-hold on. This is interesting. One of my scans is showing a positive result for the first time which means the device is interactive. There's an E.M. output that keeps fluctuating. I'm going to try and stabilize it," Sam claimed as she made a few adjustments.

Suddenly a bright white light enveloped Sam's lab.

"That was weird," Cam stated as he rubbed his head. "Whoa," he added as he realized that there was now a display over the device. It didn't take long for Sam to realize that they were now in an alternate dimension when Dr. Lee entered the room and couldn't see them.

From there, things only got worse. The Sodan contacted the SGC, asking for help, and only when Sam and Cam failed to show up after being paged multiple times, did General Hammond notice they were missing.

Then, there was the fact that Lee was on the wrong path to retrieving them. Of course Sam was keeping quiet about the biggest problem, not wanting to give Cam another reason to panic-she was feeling a slight pain across her stomach every so often, and it was occurring more regularly.

By this time, Cam informed her that Hammond had called the President-and Jack- to let them know what was going on. Sam wasn't surprised to hear that Jack would be on the next plane back to Colorado Springs. But she was shocked to hear that he would be coming on Air Force One with one President Henry Hayes, who had some business to attend to on the west coast.

In the meantime, Cam went off world to help Teal'c, leaving Sam to communicate with Daniel using the keyboard on the device. Daniel's transportation into the alternate dimension came as quite a shock, but it helped fix things a little bit faster. Sam suspected that he could tell that something was off in regards to her behavior, but Sam was able to focus his attention on solving the problem.

It came at just the right time too-as Sam could feel her water break just as they shifted back into phase. Luckily, everyone was so worried about Cam, that they didn't notice that she waddled off towards the infirmary.

That is until Jack arrived on base and demanded to know where his wife was.

"She was just here a minute ago," Daniel assured the worried General. "I'm sure she's coming. You know it takes her a lot longer to walk now," Daniel reminded him.

Jack glared at Daniel in a manner that made everyone in the room cringe, even retired General George Hammond.

It didn't take long for an SF to locate Colonel Samantha Carter-O'Neill, who had made her way to the infirmary.

With that news, there was a rush of a stream of people to the infirmary.

Dr. Carolyn Lam probably would have laughed at the events that occurred as Jack, Daniel, and Cam all tried to fit through the door at the same time. Jack was in the middle, and managed to squeeze his way through, leaving Cam and Daniel half-way in and half-way out of the room, each hugging the side of the doorframe so close, that Sam was sure there would be bruises tomorrow.

But Carolyn was worried about other things-like the fact Sam's blood pressure was on the rise. She was going to administer a sedative to knock Sam out, deciding that the best choice at this time was to deliver the babies by C-Section.

Carolyn took one look at the scene and did something that reminded those who had known her of Janet Fraiser. "OUT!" she exclaimed, pointing her finger at the door, causing Jack to do an abrupt about face, only to crash into Cam and Daniel.

"For cryin' out loud," Jack cried as he rubbed his arm where a stray elbow from Daniel had hit him. He quickly shoved Daniel out the door, Cam moved quickly to avoid a similar action, and let the door swing shut behind him.

Carolyn approached the bed that had previously been hidden by a curtain and looked at the woman on the bed in front of her, saying "You are one very lucky woman Samantha Carter, to have so many people who care about you."

"Right now," Sam huffed out between breaths "I don't feel very lucky! Where is Jack? I'm going to kill him for getting me pregnant!"

"Jack's in the hallway," Carolyn reassured her as she injected a sedative into her IV. "I'm giving you a sedative now Sam, and I'm going to take the babies by C-Section. There's nothing wrong," she reassured the worried mother to be, "I'm just being careful. We knew this could happen," Carolyn reminded her as Sam nodded as her eyes glazed over and then closed, the anesthetic winning out.

Now Carolyn Lam had been a doctor for a quite a while, and done a lot of things, especially since joining the SGC, but none of those including delivering a baby. So she was quite glad that Doctor Jane Early was there to do the real work.

What must have seemed like a long amount of time later to those in the hallway, but what was really short as far as deliveries go, a scream of a newborn baby could be heard.

Jack paused in his pacing to smile, and only Teal'c's presence, guarding the delivery room door, kept Jack from rushing in to the room.

"Patience O'Neill," the giant of a man said as he raised an eyebrow, arms still crossed over his chest.

Jack resumed pacing, keeping one eye on the door, and one ear out for the cry of another child. Jack sighed in relief, along with the rest of the waiting room when the second cry graced the room. People clapped him on the back, everyone but Teal'c that was; who refused to move from the door for fear that Jack would make a break for it.

Luckily, Carolyn seemed to know that even Jack had a limit to his patience, as she emerged from the delivery room, some blood evident on her garments.

"General O'Neill," she began, "Why don't you come on back?"

Now Jack O'Neill may pretend to be stupid, but no one ever accused him of being totally oblivious. The doctor hadn't made the expected announcement that everyone was okay, or about the gender of the babies. "What's wrong?" he demanded.

The people in the waiting room quickly turned their gazes from Jack back to Carolyn.

"Sam is fine," Carolyn reassured the group, "But the babies' lungs were not quite fully developed."

Fear shot through Jack, ending in a stabbing pain in his heart. He couldn't loose the twins, he couldn't stand to loose another child, not after Charlie.

Realizing that she had scared everyone in the room with her words, Carolyn reassured them. "Lots of babies are born this way every year, and they go on to live a healthy normal life, it just means that we need to take a few extra precautions right now. The babies are going to be placed in an isolation ward and kept in a drug induced coma to help them breathe easier."

"Can I see them?" Jack begged.

"Not yet," Carolyn ordered. "Dr. Early is checking them over and getting them settled. Then before you go in, you'll need to put on a gown, mask, and gloves. In the meantime, I can take you to see Sam. Just Jack," quickly added noticing the number of people who moved at the mention of seeing Sam.

Jack quickly followed Carolyn into the delivery room.

"Sam should be coming around any time now. I need you to keep her calm and reassure her that everything is fine. If everything goes well, you and her can go see the babies once Dr. Early gives the okay," Carolyn offered.

Jack didn't get a chance to respond though as a flash of white light enveloped him and Sam.

"Thor!" Jack exclaimed, "You really need to quit doing that."

"I apologize O'Neill, but I found it imperative to speak with you. I discovered that Colonel Carter's biometric readings were diverging from those of normal humans. My scans no longer show the unique signature of your sons, is this the reason for her distress?" Thor questioned.

"Yes, Sam gave birth-sons? You knew they were boys and didn't tell me? Did Sam know?" Jack blurted out.

"I mistakenly informed Colonel Carter several months ago of the babies gender. She requested that I not inform you or anyone else, stating that 'It was to be a surprise'. I do not understand how having a boy is to be a surprise. Children born of those carrying the Ancient gene are rarely female. I have repaired the damage that giving birth has caused Colonel Carter. Would you like to see her now O'Neill?"

"Yeah," Jack claimed, and he immediately found himself staring at an open medical pod where his wife was just beginning to regain consciousness.

It didn't take long for Thor to beam them back to the infirmary, and for Dr. Lam to declare Sam in even better shape then she had been in before getting pregnant, something that left most women on the base envious.

But Thor couldn't fix everything. The Asgard had plenty of experience with adults but limited experience with babies, making it impossible for Thor to 'fix' the O'Neill boys completely. Thor was able do something that would speed up their recovery time though.

In the end, that didn't matter. Dr. Early was able to reassure everyone that the babies would be fine after an extended stay in the infirmary.

So after two exhausting weeks, Sam and Jack were taking their boys home for the first time. There was going to be a small, extremely small welcome home party to officially introduce the family to the twins. During their time in the infirmary, the twins had limited visitors, so while everyone had seen pictures and heard rumors of the babies' names, no one outside of the handpicked infirmary staff and Sam and Jack had yet had the opportunity to hold either of the boys or formally hear the chosen name for the two boys.

The revelation that it was twin boys had sent the betting pools into a frenzy as people quickly adjusted their bets accordingly.

Sam and Jack walked through the door of the house, to be swarmed by people wanting to hold the babies.

"Back-up," Jack ordered in his best command voice, "No one is holding either of the boys until they are sitting down in the living room." Suddenly, there was a scurry for seats in an attempt to be the first that was ready to hold the babies. Jack smiled in victory, and Sam shook her head, hiding her grin at his childish tactic-but secretly pleased that it had worked.

Sam and Jack stood side by side, cradling their children. "We want to say thank you to all of you guys for your help these past few weeks. We couldn't have made it through this without your support," Jack stated.

Daniel cut Jack off, "Let me hold one of the boys and we'll call it even," he offered.

Jack smiled and grudgingly handed the child he was holding over to Daniel's waiting arms. "This is Ryan Daniel O'Neill," he explained, watching as Daniel gazed awestruck into the child's face.

Now all gazes turned to Sam, offering her pleading eyes as they all wanted to be the next to hold the little body in her arms. But Sam already knew who was going to get first holds of her son. Carefully avoiding the sprawling legs, Sam walked over to stand in front of George Hammond.

Instinctively, the older man held out his arms welcoming the opportunity to hold the child. "Here you go Grandpa George," Sam said as she settled the tiny infant in the man's arms.

"Grandpa?" George questioned.

"If you don't mind," Sam said slightly concerned.

"It would be an honor," George assured the woman who was close enough to him to be a daughter.

"That's good, because we named him for his two grandfathers," Jack joked as came over to stand next to Sam. "That's Jacob George O'Neill that you're holding sir."

"That's…thank you," was all the Hammond was able to say in response to that news.

For a few seconds, everyone else sat restlessly, patiently waiting for their turn to hold one of the babies, when the doorbell rang, causing the babies who had been sleeping soundly up until that point to wake up and begin crying. George was able to soothe Jake, but Sam made her way over to where Daniel was struggling to quiet Ryan, while Jack went to get the door.

The man at the door was no stranger to anyone in the room, but his visit was unexpected.

"President Hayes," Jack said, "This is unexpected."

"I was passing through," was all the man said as his security team quickly pushed him through the door, doing sweeps of the rooms as they went. "I wanted to see the newest additions to the O'Neill family," he explained.

Jack led Hayes into the living room, followed by at least two body guards. By this time, Teal'c had relieved Daniel of baby holding duty and was carefully rocking Ryan in his arms. Ryan was no longer crying, and the sight of the large man holding such a tiny baby so carefully was one worthy of a picture!

"I apologize for interrupting your family gathering Colonel Carter, but I had some business to discuss with you and Jack," Hayes apologized, but failed to look really sorry as he looked around the room, his eyes quickly finding the closest baby.

Jack looked at the man in confusion, he didn't know of any business that President had to discuss with him! It seemed that Sam also doubted the President's words, because she raised an eyebrow in question, answer Jack's silent question that she didn't know anything either.

"We'll be in the office," Jack declared, turning to lead the President from the room with Sam and several body guards following closely behind.

With a glance, Hayes informed his bodyguards that they would be remaining outside of the room, which they did after checking to that the room was secure enough for their commander in chief.

Hayes took one of the chairs in front of the desk, allowing Jack his seat behind the desk, leaving Sam to take the chair next to Hayes.

"I wanted you to know that I've had several visits from Thor in the recent weeks. He has made it perfectly clear to me that he will take any step necessary to ensure the safety of your children. Something about them being genetically advanced," Hayes explained.

"Ah-they take after their father," Jack joked, looking at his wife in an 'I told you so' manner.

"Actually, Jack, Thor said that they were advanced because of the Ancient gene-and the naquadah in their blood," Sam reminded him.

Sensing that this could quickly turn into a lengthy debate, Hayes interrupted. "Regardless of why they are advanced-Thor wants them protected. He also mentioned wanting to run some tests on them, but I'll leave that up to you. I'm authorizing them to have security clearance, much the same as your niece and nephew have Colonel Carter. This is mostly for medical reasons, but also for convenience. At the same time, I'm also creating a presidential order authorizing that any children born to a member of the SG-1, past or present, the same security clearance and admission to the Air Force Academy, if they want it. Any child born to a member of the SGC, provided they meet admission standards, also has a spot at the Academy."

It wasn't often that Jack saw Sam speechless, but this was one of those times.

"Wow…that's…thank you sir," Sam finally managed to spit out.

"Ditto," Jack added, watching as the corner of Hayes's mouth turner up slightly in the beginnings of a smile.

"It's the least I could do considering everything SG-1 has done for this planet over the years," Hayes said brushing off their gratitude as he stood up, Jack and Sam quickly doing the same. "Now, is there any chance I could hold those two babies before I leave?" the man requested.

"We may have to pry Ryan out of Teal'c's hands, but we'll see what we can do," Jack offered as he led the way from the room.

----


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Life at the SGC returned to normal-or at least as normal as it could be.

Except Major General Jack O'Neill was much more efficient at completing his paperwork some days-because once it was done, he could go the on base nursery that housed Ryan and Jake, if they were on base. Once there, he usually had to glare at someone to get a chance to hold one of his two sons. He had yet to see the twins on base and not be in the arms of an SGC employee. The nurses from the infirmary even fought to change the boys' diapers because it meant they had a sensible reason to pry the child from whichever higher ranking officer had come in to dote on the boys.

The biggest surprise to most though was that Sam Carter was working only four half days a week in an attempt to lengthen her maternity leave and spend as much time as possible with the twins. President Hayes had suggested the arrangement and Landry had approved the measure both agreeing she deserved to take as long off as possible, until the SGC desperately needed her again.

Which basically meant that Sam would have as much time off as she wanted at least until the next Ori threat showed up. Sam refused to think about that possibility, and instead reveled in the time she got to spend as a new mother. For her, work became mostly about processing the paperwork that landed on her desk and a refusal to examine any new artifacts or devices. It's not that working in her lab wasn't fun anymore; it was just that it wasn't nearly as much fun as spending time with Jake and Ryan.

Suddenly she understood why so many women gave up their careers to raise their children. And Sam wondered what she would have done if the world didn't need her. But she couldn't let herself think about it too much because the world did need saving-and that was her job. And now she had a lot more to fight for than ever before.

----

One week passed, and then two, before Jack called Sam at home and told her she needed to come into the base. It took Sam over an hour to pack up the twins, drive to base, and get them through the first security checkpoint, and to the second where Jack met her to take one of the baby carriers from an Airman.

Once in the elevator, Sam turned to Jack and asked, "What happened?"

"Funny thing actually. Remember Vala?"

"Yes."

"Seems she somehow-don't ask me how- has currently taken over Daniel's body," Jack managed to spit out, trying not to look overly pleased with himself. "She took control of Daniel's body, went into the guys locker room, and ogled Mitchell. Scared the crap out of him."

"Are you sure that it's her?" Sam asked in disbelief.

"Pretty sure," Jack answered.

And then Sam proceeded to shoot off her theories of what had happened and why, through dropping off the twins and walking to the interview room where Vala, occupying Daniel's body, was waiting for them along with Teal'c and Cameron.

The news that Vala brought was anything but good. The Ori were coming-and Sam's desire to be a mom was going to have to take a back seat to saving the universe.

But before Sam did that-she made Jack take the day off and they celebrated Nate and Lindsay's birthdays, an event that had been previously scheduled for the weekend after the twin's birth, but had been pushed back when Sam and Jack had spent so much time with the twins.

Luckily, Lindsay and Nate had been good sports about the whole thing.

Born exactly one year and one day apart, Lindsay was now thirteen, and Nate had turned fourteen. In the fall, Nate would be a freshman in high school, and there was a discussion of Lindsay skipping the eighth grade and joining him. Yet that particular Saturday wasn't the day for a discussion about school, it was about celebrating another year gone by for the two Carter children.

The two teenagers declared themselves "Too old for little kid birthday parties," so instead, Jack and Sam catered to the two teenagers by sending them with Cassie to the movies, where they met up with their friends. They returned later in the afternoon to a meal composed of all their favorite foods. Jack had grilled hamburgers, steaks, chicken, and hot dogs in an attempt to meet everyone's varied tastes for meat. Salad and fresh fruit completed the meal-at least until everyone made room for cake.

Two large cakes were brought out, both with re-lighting candles on them, so that every time Nate or Lindsay thought they had the candle blown out, they would flicker to life again.

"Uncle Jack!" Lindsay objected, "Why couldn't we have normal candles, like normal kids?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders, hiding his smirk, and instructed the pair, "Blow out those candles so I can have some cake!"

Sam shook her head, and attempted to hide her grin at the attempts by her niece and nephew to hide their amusement over candles. Eventually she ended Jack's fun with the pyrotechnics by removing the candles from the cake and dropping them in a glass of water. It didn't take long for the cake and ice cream to disappear or for Nate and Lindsay to open their presents and appropriately thank everyone.

It was a great day for everyone present to forget about the war they were currently fighting, and to remember exactly what and who they were fighting for.

----

The next few months were filled with constant life or death situations.

Jack felt like he lived in constant fear. Every time he sent Sam through the gate, he knew there was a chance she might not come back to him or to their family. There were close calls like when she got stranded in space, fulfilling her childhood dream of being an astronaut, when she almost slept her way to oblivion, and then finally encountered the Wraith in a trip to the Pegasus galaxy.

The trip to the Pegasus galaxy had cost her Thanksgiving with her family but she and the rest of SG-1 did make it back in time to celebrate Christmas. Jack ordered the mountain be left with minimum staff to give as many people as possible the chance to be at home with their families, something which everyone seemed to appreciate as they came back recharged and ready to take the fight to the Ori.

But before they could do that, there was the whole ordeal with the multiple Baals, and after that was over, Jack put his foot down. He hadn't seen his twins in a week, ever since the whole Baal thing started.

The President had ordered him to accept extra protection for himself and his family. And because it seemed like Baal didn't know about Ryan and Jake, Jack endured the separation for the safety of the kids. All of the Carter-O'Neill children had been swept away to an undisclosed location at the first hint of trouble, so other than a phone call two days ago in which Cassie, Nate, and Lindsay assured him that they were all okay, Jack hadn't spoken to them either.

But if Jack knew one thing, it was that no matter how hard this week long experience had been on him, Sam had suffered even more the past few months. The trip to Atlantis alone had required her to be separated from the twins for almost a month; not counting the other various missions she had went on. He knew Sam had given a lot of thought over the years to what she would do about gate travel if she ever had children of her own. In a dream world, Jack imagined she would have given up gate travel and taken a full time position in the labs.

Right now though, Sam knew she didn't have that option. No matter how much she wanted to give it all up and spend time with her family, her planet needed her more.

So she made it her goal in life to finish the Ori off as quickly as possible so she could get to living the fairy tale life that she was so close to having with her family.

The return of Vala had been a welcome thing for Sam. And Sam silently cheered Vala on every time she gave the male members of SG-1 a headache. The two women had much in common. They both had children, and were forcefully separated from them, either directly or indirectly by the Ori. That common bond quickly brought them together, although Sam did still have her doubts sometimes about the women's motives, Sam had never been so glad that her children were mostly normal. Vala's daughter was quickly becoming the galaxy's greatest enemy as the leader of the Ori, and Sam hoped she would never need to know what it felt like to hunt your own child down.

Yet in the course of all of this, Sam had never been so grateful for Jack's stubbornness until the day he practically ordered the President to give him and SG-1 some downtime. Unsurprisingly, the President agreed to grant the time off, even going so far as to offer them his own vacation home.

Jack turned him down though, in favor of making the trip to his cabin in Minnesota. A nice relaxing vacation with his 'family' was just what the General ordered. Now all he had to do was see his kids again.

----

The reunion of Sam and Jack with the kids was one that brought tears to Cassie's eyes as she watched the couple coo over Ryan and Jake, proclaiming how much each had grown, and nearly flatten Nate and Lindsay in bone crushing hugs.

A week later, during the weekly, when on world and not experiencing an emergency, Wednesday night 'family' dinner, Jack made an announcement.

"Pack you bags," Jack ordered, "We're going to the cabin this weekend."

Cam looked on in shock, Teal'c opened his mouth to protest, but it was Lindsay and Nate that made the decision final.

"Really?" Lindsay asked, almost in disbelief.

"Can we go fishing?" Nate begged.

"It might be a little cold for that Nate," Sam said.

"We can go ice fishing," Jack offered.

Sam stage whispered to Nate, "I wouldn't want to sit outside in the snow and ice trying to catch a fish that isn't there."

"Hey! There are fish in my pond-they're just hard to catch!" Jack objected.

"If you say so Jack," Sam laughed and patted her husband on the shoulder before carrying Ryan out of the room.

"That means you too Mitchell," Jack ordered and then quickly followed his wife out of the room, carrying Jake. "And don't even think about trying to get out of it Teal'c-there shouldn't be any mosquitoes to bother you this time."

----

'A long weekend at the cabin is just what the doctor ordered,' Sam thought as she packed things for herself and the twins. And then something occurred to her. "Just how are we all going to fit into your cabin Jack? It was fine for the five of us, but…"

"Ah! We'll be a little tight, but things will be fine," Jack promised, waving off her concern.

"You know you can't stick Cam in a tent with Daniel outside. The forecast may be for slightly warmer weather than you're used to for this time of year, but it is not going to warm enough to stick them outside," Sam reminded him, thinking that even though Minnesota was experiencing a short burst of spring like weather in winter, there was no way she could let anyone but her husband sleep outside.

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Jack promised as he grabbed the first of the bags and proceeded to load them in his SUV. They would drive all night long, in hopes that the twins would sleep through most of it.

And they did.

If there was one thing Sam could appreciate about her sons, it was that they seemed to defy everything that anyone had ever told her about babies. They rarely cried, loved to be held, didn't fuss about being passed from person to person, and stuck to their schedule like clockwork. Jack was convinced it was a sign they would be great Airmen when they grew up and Sam just groaned every time he made the joke.

When they pulled up outside of the cabin, Sam barely recognized it. She recognized the route they took to get there, and the scenery around the cabin, but the very large cabin in front of her wasn't the one she remembered from her last visit.

"Jack?" she asked in an accusing tone.

Jack quickly leapt from the SUV as quickly a he could, intent on having one of the twins in his arms when he answered her questions. She wouldn't attack him while he was holding one of their babies, would she?

By the time Sam had made her way around to Jack's side of the vehicle, he was indeed holding Ryan. But Sam held out her arms and sent him a 'hand him over now' glare that told him he had better do as she wanted or else he would be sleeping on the couch tonight or maybe in that illusive tent. Sheepishly, Jack carefully placed Ryan in his mother's arms.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" Sam asked.

"I love you?" Jack tried.

Sam's 'hand him over now glare' turned into a fierce 'don't be stupid Jack' glare, which meant the possibility of him sleeping on the couch had diminished-only because his chance of sleeping in that tent outside had grown.

"For cryin' out loud! I put an addition on the cabin at the same time I put one on the house. I thought we might need it someday," Jack explained.

"And you didn't think to discuss it with me first?" Sam demanded.

Jack opened his mouth to answer several times but before he could say anything, Cameron Mitchell pulled in, driving his black Mustang, and Cassie riding shotgun.

"I love this car," Cassie exclaimed as she opened the door on the passenger side.

"Don't get any ideas young lady," Cam interrupted, "I'm not selling."

"Aw man!"

Jack turned to look at the two other teenagers that had emerged from his SUV and dealt them a blow. "And the two of you can forget it. My parents let me have a car like that when I turned 16 and I know what I did. For-get it!"

Lindsay looked slightly longingly at the Mustang. Nate tried to hide his disappointment by readjusting Jake who was sleeping in his arms.

"In the cabin everyone," Jack ordered, realizing that this was his best chance to escape Sam's wrath.

----

It didn't take long to get everyone situated, especially since right after breakfast, Jack got a phone call. There seemed to be some trouble back at the SGC holding Teal'c and Vala up-meaning Cam was now stuck alone with the entire Carter-O'Neill family. Daniel had found some excuse to remain in England where he was doing research.

Sam and Jack spent most of the day avoiding each other, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere to say the least, and as evening approached, a storm set in.

Jack and Cam took up a chess game, and it was obvious to everyone Cam didn't feel comfortable as he lost two games in a row, probably because he was still uncomfortable thinking about Jack as anything more than 'General O'Neill'.

When Jack revealed a hidden love for the PlayStation 3 which Cam had thought was there for Nate or Lindsay, the two finally hit it off. The two men ended up engaging in battle in front of the television until the early hours of the morning, when Cam once again conceded defeat, although the score was much closer than during the chess game.

Cam was just about to change clothes and go to bed, when the electricity went out and he heard a sound. He grabbed his sidearm from his bag, where it had been discretely tucked upon arrival. Cam crept out of his room, towards the kitchen, listening carefully for any noise from the upstairs loft, where all the older kids were sleeping in the same large room that could be turned into a playroom during the day.

Cam was in the kitchen when he once again thought he heard a sound, turning around in a rush, but quickly lowering his gun when he found General O'Neill and his wife standing there.

"I thought I heard a noise," Cam quickly explained.

"So did we," Sam explained.

"One of the neighbors had a bear come through the kitchen door last summer," Jack explained as he relaxed his grip on the shotgun.

"Oh," Cam said, like that explained everything.

"Don't shoot me before morning Mitchell," Jack ordered before turning around and heading back to bed.

"Yes sir," Cam agreed.

Sam hung around for a few more minutes, apologizing for Jack's behavior as she handed over a flashlight for his own use while taking one for her and Jack back to their room.

Cam shook his head and went back to his room. 'When will one of them just apologize to the other and get it over with?' Cam wondered.

----

Sam shut the door to their bedroom softly, and turned to look at her husband who had already returned the shotgun to its original location, and slid into bed.

"Do you know how hard it is to be mad at you?" Sam accused Jack as she put her own gun in the nightstand. "No matter how hard I try to stay mad at you, I can't. I love you too much. Do you know how frustrating that is?" she asked.

Jack looked up at her from under the covers with a serious case of bed head. His hair was as ruffled and unruly as ever. "It's all part of my charm," he claimed, smirking as he said it, pulling back the covers on her side of the bed so that she could crawl in with him.

"You're hopeless, you know that right?" Sam sighed as she slid over next to Jack.

"Hopelessly in love with you," Jack responded, grinning as he said it.

"That was such a cliché," Sam accused him as she snuggled closer.

Jack's arms wrapped around Sam, pulling her closer to him, "Sorry," he apologized.

"No you're not."

"You're right I'm not," Jack agreed, placing a kiss in Sam's hair.

----

By the next morning, Jack and Sam were back to normal, even if the cabin wasn't. The phones were still out, along with the electricity, luckily Jack had a generator, so all he had to do was go out and start it up. Thankfully, it started without any problems and the 'family' was able to have a breakfast of pancakes and bacon.

When news came that the road into town was washed out, Jack wasn't worried. He called the closest Air Force base and tried to swing a chopper, but the base commander refused unless there was an emergency.

Which there wasn't-really.

Sure, Teal'c and Vala were fighting some alien monster off world, possibly caused by the Ori, but that was almost par for the course.

Surprising warm weather allowed Jack to show Cassie, Lindsay, Nate, and Cam the finer points to fishing while Sam spent two solid hours on her cell phone and in front of her computer trying to help Dr. Redden, Vala, and Teal'c discover the reason behind the creature's mutation.

Two hours was all it took for Cam to get board and decide that a run would better serve his needs. What he found was enough to worry Jack as he talked to the local sheriff, Wade.

Hunting wasn't something that Jack enjoyed doing; he had killed enough during his day job to last a lifetime. But he knew that taking Cam and going after the bear was the safest thing he could do for everyone's sake. So he left the kids with Sam, giving them all strict instructions not to leave the cabin.

A couple hours later, by use of his cell phone, Jack was able to relay to Sam that there had been a Trust operative way too close to their cabin-and she explained that they weren't dealing with an ordinary grizzly bear.

After Wade was attacked, it took Jack all of five minutes to get Cassie, Lindsay, Nate, Ryan, and Jake beamed out of the cabin and back to the SGC where they would be safe. He also ordered SGC troops beamed to the command tent that was being setup around his cabin, along with the other troops that were being trucked in from the closest military base.

They ended up hunting through the night, and by morning had killed two of the mutant creatures and sent the troops packing, leaving all of SG-1, except the still absent Daniel, with the reunited Carter-O'Neill family. The next two days were the most relaxing in recent memory for Jack. The family fished, taught Nate and Lindsay how to play poker, and bonded in a way that they had all been missing out on during the past few months.

----


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The return to the SGC from the long weekend at the cabin was anything but easy, bringing several months that had hardly anything happy to celebrate.

Dealing with Martin Lloyd and his idiotic script was enough to give anyone a headache, especially Jack, though the attempt to punk Cam almost made up for the whole experience. The party on the other side of the gate had been an opportunity for many of the SGC personnel to kick back and relax as they celebrated the continuous ten year running of the program.

Then the Jaffa tried taking the fight to the Ori only to wreck destruction on Dakara.

A month later, Vala disappeared while out to dinner with Daniel, a date that Daniel refused to call a date. When they finally found her, she managed to steal Cam's pants and reveal that she had lost her memory. Cam loosing his pants was becoming a running joke, and a new thing for the SGC personnel to bet on.

Then there was Cam's decision to go undercover in the Lucian Alliance to save the rest of SG-1 who had been captured. While SG-1 returned safely, the same could not be said for Colonel Emerson. Sam's nightmares woke Jack constantly after she witnessed the death of Colonel Emerson.

The next mission caused more heartache than any mission since SG-1 had been reunited. They lost Daniel. Jack refused to believe he was dead, as did Sam and Teal'c, but because it was Cam and Vala's first time 'loosing' Daniel, they were gloomier than the others. Jack ended up getting Dave Dixon and his wife to keep Ryan and Jake for a night while Lindsay, Nate, and Cassie spent the night at the house of one friend or another so that the entire team could get really, really drunk at his house. They ended up drinking every ounce of alcohol in the house.

Even celebrating the twin's first birthday along with Nate and Lindsay's birthdays wasn't enough to brighten the gloom that seemed to settle over the Carter-O'Neill household and with it, the SGC.

For the first time since the war began, Jack wondered if he would be around to see the end of this war. He refused to believe they might never win, but he did wonder if he would die before making the galaxy safe for his own children.

The next two months weren't any better for the Carter-O'Neill household as they almost lost Sam, not once but twice. Jack wasn't sure how the base stayed in one piece during the time Sam went missing in alternate reality but it did. He tried to be extra nice to Walter as a way of saying thank you, but he figured that the man had come to expect it over the years.

Sam's return to active duty was followed by the surprise reappearance of Daniel-as a Prior. Jack was forced to make some tough decisions, but he got to do it from the field with his team. Most importantly, Daniel's return brought hope to the universe for the first time in over a year. They achieved their first real victory against the Ori that day.

----

After the back to back 'almost' deaths by Sam and the victory against the Ori, Sam and Jack took a trip to D.C. to brief the President. They left a very happy Cassie in charge of all the kids to spend some quality 'alone' time together. Jack couldn't quite figure out why the young woman was so thrilled that she was the glorified baby sitter for the weekend, but wasn't going to question her decision.

Instead, Sam and Jack spent Friday in meetings with various military personnel, including the President and Joint Chiefs, before ending the afternoon with a meeting of all the key, earthbound players of the Stargate Program.

There was one more commitment that Sam and Jack had to keep while they were in D.C. At the request of the President, they would be attending a large political function held at one of the fancier D.C. hotels.

Sam took the opportunity to get all dressed up in a newly purchased black dress that made Jack whistle the first time he saw her in it.

"You know," he said suggestively, "We could skip this party and just stay in tonight."

"Or we could go the party, make the President a very happy man," Sam responded.

Jack scoffed. "Some wife you are, more concerned about making the President happy than your own husband."

"One of us has to do the thinking in this relationship-and I was thinking about how much we owe President Hayes. One night making nice with a bunch of Senators and such will not kill you Jonathan O'Neill. So I suggest that you leave me in peace to finish getting ready and that you're on your best behavior this evening," Sam mock ordered.

"Forgive me _Colonel,_ but I thought it said General on my uniform," Jack replied, pointing to the stars on his shoulders.

Sam waved her hand dismissively. "Get out Jack or you won't be the one taking this dress off later," Sam insisted.

Jack smiled and eyed Sam appropriately before leaving her to finish her make-up, without interruption.

Unfortunately, Jack didn't get to take the dress off of Sam later that evening like he planned.

----

The evening was going rather well. The President had come and gone, putting in his face time with the appropriate people, even taking a few minutes to chat with Sam and Jack, and complaining about the world of politics to Jack the entire time.

The crowd was just beginning to thin when Jack gave Sam the look that plainly said 'let's go' and Sam was just about to agree when all hell broke loose.

"I'm telling you there's aliens out there," a voice that Sam vaguely recognized yelled.

A crowd had already gathered around the man, but now everyone in the room was looking at him. Sam and Jack traded glances and went into action, making their way towards the voice.

The sight that greeted them wasn't unexpected-at least in their line of work. General Marcus Smith, the man currently in charge of Area 51, stood holding a glass of champagne in one hand and a gun in the other. He was waving both about wildly.

Sam tried to creep around the back of the man, but in high heels and a dress found it quite difficult, especially since everyone else was trying to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the gun waving General. Because of this General Smith spotted her and turned around.

"Colonel Carter," Smith spit out in an undignified manner, making the rank sound dirty. "Or should I say Colonel O'Neill?"

"I kept the Carter at work," Sam declared loudly and upon seeing Jack's movements out of the corner of her eye, moved closer to the gun waving General.

Sam could hear the sound of pounding feet behind her and knew someone must have alerted security to the problem. Without turning her head, she could hear them skid to a halt.

"Everyone thinks you're so good," General Smith ranted, seemingly oblivious to the security personnel behind her who were probably pointing guns at the man. "If only they knew the true story. The scientist who wasn't good enough to get into NASA ends up married to her former CO. It's all your fault that I'm retiring. It wasn't my choice, oh no, they insisted that they had someone else to take care of things now. So what am I supposed to do?"

The gun wavered slightly, but instantly righted itself, once more pointing at Sam. Sam could see Jack was behind General Smith. Now all he needed was a distraction.

"How is it my fault?" Sam asked, trying to project the right amount of anger and innocence into her voice. What she did must have worked, because the man took off on another angry rant instantly.

"You know! All I ever heard before you transferred to my base is 'Major Carter could fix this' or 'that's what Colonel Carter said to do'. Then you get there and everyone rolls out the welcome mat for you-giving in to your every want and need. You even show a blatant disregard for Air Force policy by sharing classified information with a civilian-and no one does a thing about it! No one listens to me!" He claimed.

With all of his attention on Sam, Jack had been slowly creeping towards the man, intent on taking him out without hurting him, but no one could have planned on what happened next.

General Smith got so angry that he griped the glass in his left hand a little too hard and it broke. The pain shot up the man's arm as a piece of the glass got lodged in his hand. Blood trickled down and dripped onto the floor. With the glass gone, the General adopted a two hand shooting stance, something that normally would have made holding the gun a steadier action, but the dripping blood quickly made the situation worse and Smith's hold on the gun slipped just as Jack tackled the man to the floor. Smith's head hit the floor with a loud crack and not even a second later, the sound of a gunshot echoed through the silence.

Sam didn't even think about it as she ran towards the two Generals, praying that the shot hadn't hit her husband. She slid to the floor right next to Jack, who was already sitting up.

"I'm fine," he claimed, his attention turning to the General in front of them. Carefully, they rolled him over, Jack reaching for the gun and snapping the safety on by instinct. Sam checked for a pulse and found one. Surprised, she let her field training kick in and started giving the man emergency first aid by placing her hands over the bloody spot on the General's uniform. Within minutes, a medic arrived and took over, allowing Sam to move away, her dress now ruined by the General's blood.

As soon as General Smith was being rushed out of the room, the police took over but not before Sam made her way into Jack's arms, wanting to assure herself that he was okay.

"General, ma'am?" the officer interrupted the couple, "We need to ask you some questions."

Jack took one look at Sam and then gave his best intimidating glare to the police officer while reaching for his cell phone. Not letting go of Sam, Jack ignored the protests of the police officer and hit the speed dial number for the President.

Ten minutes later, the Air Force had officially taken over the investigation. It only took Jack and Sam fifteen minutes to relay their version of the events to the officer placed in charge of the investigation and another five to change clothes as they were being claimed as evidence in the investigation.

After that, Sam and Jack were escorted back to their hotel room, where Sam and Jack must have used half of the hotel's hot water as they tried to wash the blood off. They were cuddled together in bed when Sam finally spoke.

"When that gun went off," she whispered, "I was so scared. If it had been you…" she trailed off, unable to say anymore.

"I know," Jack said, "But it wasn't so don't dwell on it." He pulled her closer to him, wanting nothing more than to hold her close.

----

The next morning started earlier than planned as Jack's cell phone rang a little after 0500 hours. Sam and Jack rushed off to a meeting at the Pentagon with General Landry, who revealed that General Smith had made it through surgery and had been expected to be fine-until he mysteriously died from complications.

"The Trust?" Jack asked.

"Most likely," Landry admitted.

Sam starred intently at the report in her lap. "He was brainwashed," Sam said, interrupting the conversation going on around her. "Same as Malcolm."

"What?" Two voices asked as one.

"There's a chemical in General Smith's blood stream that became visible in Malcolm Barrett's after we figured out he had been brainwashed by Baal," Sam explained.

"Huh," Jack said. "Any way we can know for sure how long ago he was brainwashed?"

"Unfortunately no," Sam admitted.

"So he could have been a jerk all along or it could have been that he didn't become a jerk until later…" Jack trailed off.

"I don't think we'll ever know," Landry declared with a note of finality. "All that matters now is that he's gone and we've got the perfect cover story for his actions to the public."

And from there, conversation went back to business.

----

Sam and Jack returned to Colorado Springs and resumed life with their family. Sam went back to going on missions and Jack went back to paperwork.

The missions flew by for Jack, one death defying mission running into another as they battled against the Ori. Vala actually came up with a plan that rid the galaxy of Adria, at least on the physical plane.

Things seemed to have settled down, until just after Christmas when Thor requested the presence of SG-1 and the great Jack O'Neill on a trip to visit the Asgard home world.

What happened was not something that would have been perfect for Marty's television show. The Ori were able to track the new Asgard technology, and Sam had been forced to trap the Odyssey in a time dilation field.

----

They had been stuck on the Odyssey for six weeks when Jack knew something was wrong with his wife. She hardly slept or ate, choosing to spend as much time in her lab as possible. Sam was exhibiting every sign of guilt-but for the life of him, Jack couldn't figure out what she had to be guilty about. It wasn't her fault that the Asgard were gone or that the Ori could track the Asgard technology.

The final straw in her avoidance tactics was when he found her in the last place he expected-the infirmary.

----

Sam was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. Her face was hidden in her arms.

Sam knew that Jack knew that she knew he was there, but that didn't mean she was going to do anything.

"Hey," he said softly as he settled himself next to her. He tried to put an arm around her shoulders and tug her closer to him, but for the first time he could remember, she shrugged off his offer of comfort.

"What's wrong?" he asked, prodding her a little bit with his elbow, trying to gain her attention.

Silently, Sam's head appeared from where it had been buried in her hands. She knew she had to look awful. She had been crying and her face must have been a sight for sore eyes. But from the quick look she stole at Jack's face, she saw nothing but love and concern for her reflected there.

Hidden by her hands and arms was the object that had brought her to tears. Without words, she handed it to Jack, but she carefully avoided his eyes. She didn't dare look at him and see his reaction, knowing in her heart that she had finally done something that was going to make her lose him.

After having Ryan and Jake, they had never discussed having more kids, but Sam had been realistic. Considering the war they were fighting and her age, Sam knew that having more children with Jack wasn't going to happen. Then after taking the blast from the Ori weapon, Dr. Lam had given her the news that both her ovaries had been damaged now, making having more children impossible, at least until this mission.

//Flashback//

"You will become the Fifth Race," Thor said. "O'Neill was the first and all of his children will carry that legacy forward while your people will carry the Asgard legacy."

"No pressure, huh?" Sam joked.

"I do wish to impart a gift to you Samantha O'Neill," Thor requested.

"What?"

"The Asgard have collected samples of your genetic material over the years along with that of O'Neill. I offer you the prospect of another child," Thor declared, "Specifically a daughter, as the Ancient gene is best passed to female children."

"I can't have more children Thor," Sam said softly, "As much as I may want to, my body won't let me. Besides, it's not just my decision, Jack and I would have to discuss it. And I don't think that he wants any more children."

"I see," Thor said, just as the alarms sounded. "Then I hope you will one day forgive me for not thinking of this. Good-bye," Thor finished as he beamed away, leaving a stunned Samantha Carter-O'Neill in his wake.

//End Flashback//

Sam had hoped that whatever Thor had done to try and give her and Jack another baby had failed but when she had started feeling nauseous several days in a row, she went searching for the pregnancy tests in the infirmary. When the test came back positive, she didn't know what to do other than roll up in a ball and cry, so that's what she did.

"I thought we couldn't have any more kids," Jack finally said, his voice cracking as he broke the silence.

"Thor thought a baby would make a nice present," Sam said, her voice muffled because she had pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her head in her arms, resting her forehead against her knees.

Jack was silent for a long time, not sure what to do. So he waited for Sam to make the first move. When she did, she got quite a shock.

Jack O'Neill was sitting there with the dopiest grin she had ever seen on his face. "You're not mad?" she asked, as she tried to wipe the wetness on her cheeks away.

"Mad?" Jack repeated, "Oh Sam," he said as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him in a bone crushing hug, suddenly realizing her fears.

"I always wanted enough kids for a hockey team, and this little guy will round things out perfectly. Having Ryan and Jake has made me happier than I've been in years and having another child with you would be amazing. As long as this is what you want," Jack hurriedly added.

"God yes," Sam said relaxing in Jack's arms for the first time since Thor had delivered the news.

"Good, because this guy," Jack declared, placing a hand on her stomach, "Is very much wanted and will no doubt be every bit as wonderful as his older brothers, cousins, and adopted sister. I wonder if he'll have my good looks and sense of humor?" Jack wondered aloud.

Sam giggled. Jack hadn't even known about the baby for more a few minutes and he already wanted to know what his 'son' looked like. "I'm sure _she'll_ be perfect," she rebutted and then held her breath, wondering what he would say now.

"Or you know, a daughter would be a nice change. Never had one of those before," Jack admitted. "Yep, I think I'd really like to have a daughter this time, you know, if I got to pick."

Sam turned her head so that she could look in Jack's eyes and confirm that he was happy about this turn of events. What she was utter happiness, almost the same expression that had appeared on his face the first time he had held one of their sons and the day they had gotten married. "Hmm, guess you're in luck since Thor decided we needed a daughter to carry the legacy of the Ancients and become the Fifth race," Sam said.

Jack's eyes took on a look of wonder and Sam could almost see him picturing their daughter. He eventually snapped out of it though and looked at Sam, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"You know, we really need to start planning when we're going to have kids and even inform our allies so they don't interfere, and then we won't have these incidents every time you get pregnant," Jack claimed.

"All I have to say is next time it's your turn to have the baby," Sam whispered, her eyes already shut and her voice laced with exhaustion, "Because this is the last baby that I'm having."

Jack didn't dare say anything else because Sam was already sleeping.

----


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The announcement that the Odyssey would be getting another crew member was met with shock then excitement as everyone settled into a longer than expected time aboard the ship.

Vala organized and threw a baby shower for Sam and Jack, taking advantage of the Asgard technology to form every thinkable piece of clothing, toy, and piece of furniture that her mind could conjure up.

Needless to say, there was no way that when the baby was born she could wear every piece of clothing that Vala had been able to create.

At eight and half months pregnant, Sam was still working in her lab a couple of hours each day, trying desperately to make progress in solving the problem. Jack had made a comment a few days before that had given her a new train of thought, about reversing time. She was just starting to make headway when her water broke. 

Calmly she walked to the room Jack had taken over for a workshop. She stood in the door and watched him put the finishing touches on his project. 

Vala had wanted to use the Asgard technology to create a rocking chair for the baby's room, but Jack had insisted on doing it himself. He had occasionally drafted Teal'c or Mitchell's help when a second person was required, but for the most part had done the work himself.

Carefully, he sat down in the chair, oblivious to his audience. He tested it, rocking back and forth a few times before permitting himself a satisfying smile.

"You finished it," Sam declared from the doorway.

Jack looked up, first in shock, then in amazement as he took in the sight of his heavily pregnant wife with a smile. "It took longer than I thought," he admitted. "I was worried that my daughter would arrive before I had a chance to finish it."

A contraction hit just then, causing Sam to clutch her stomach. Jack rushed to her side and supported her until the pain lessened. "Obviously I finished just in time," he joked. "How about we go to the infirmary?"

Sam just nodded.

----

Twelve excruciatingly painful hours later, Daniel emerged from the delivery room, obviously exhausted, to greet the rest of the team. They had all heard the cry of a newborn not too long ago, and now wanted nothing more than to catch their first glimpse of the child.

"Come on in," he whispered, waving them into the room.

Vala had never been as quiet as she was when tip toed into the room, followed by Teal'c and Cam.

Jack was perched on the bed next to Sam both looking even more exhausted than Daniel but the grins that lit the faces of the happy parents left no doubts how they felt in regards to this particular addition to their family.

"This is the newest addition to the O'Neill family," Jack stated as he picked his daughter up out of Sam's arms and walked closer to the three members of SG-1 who had yet to see the little girl up close.

"She's beautiful Sam," Cam congratulated his friend as he caught a glimpse of the little girl's head. Big blue eyes looked up at him from a head covered with blonde hair.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

"And does this baby have a name?" Vala asked impatiently, really wanting the chance to hold the little girl. She had missed out on that opportunity with her own daughter and no matter how much her arms ached to hold this child like that, there was no way she would deny Sam or Jack that opportunity.

"You'll have to ask Sam," Jack claimed, looking up from his daughter's face to glance at his wife.

Sam had slowly been falling asleep before Jack mentioned her name. "What?" she asked in confusion.

"Remember," Jack reminded her, "When you were pregnant with the boys we agreed that I would pick the names for any boys and you got to pick the names for the girls. So…"

"Since this is a girl, I get to name her," Sam concluded.

"Uh-hu."

Sam shot Jack daggers. "I really wish you had reminded me of this fact months ago. I would have been much more prepared," Sam claimed.

Jack shrugged off her complaint and turned to their friends. "Since my wife, in her infinite brilliance has no idea what to name our child, I guess we are now taking suggestions."

The suggestions that came from their friends were endless, but Sam ignored them all, choosing to draw on her own memory instead, a very particular memory that had caused her to almost marry someone else. That made the selection of first names complete, but now Sam had to come up with a middle name for their daughter. 

One name came to mind above all others. Sure, she could have used Janet, but Sam was saving that one for Cassie. She was the one who deserved to use that name, if she chose. 

So the next obvious choice was Kathryn. Sam's mom had been a Kathryn, as had General Hammond's wife, and last but not least was Catherine Langford, the woman who had made Sam's dreams of a working Stargate a reality. 

Jack watched as Sam thought about naming their daughter, her face contemplating different names, trying them on for size. Neither of them was listening to Cam, Daniel, and Vala offer their own suggestions. He knew the instant she had decided on the name when her eyes met his and she held out her arms, asking to hold her daughter once more.

Jack slid onto the bed next to her and carefully transferred their daughter into Sam's waiting arms. Sam studied the girl intently; trying out the name she had picked and decided that it did fit her well. 

"Have you selected a name Colonel Carter?" Teal'c asked, breaking Sam out of her thoughts.

Teal'c question ended the discussion of the meaning behind possible baby names that the other three people in the room had been involved in, a discussion that had been slowly growing in noise since its conception. 

"Yes I have Teal'c," Sam admitted as she looked pointedly at Jack and made her announcement. "Meet Grace Kathryn O'Neill."

Jack nodded his head in approval at the choice.

"Oh…that's…that's perfect Sam," Cam declared, giving his own stamp of approval, having heard storied of Kathryn Carter and Catherine Langford and having met Kathryn Hammond during his Academy days with Sam.

"I like it," Vala claimed, granting her own consent.

Daniel took his glasses from his face to wipe a tear from his eye. "It's perfect," he declared.

"Indeed it is."

----

In the end, it was two days before Grace's first birthday when Sam announced that she had a solution. "I can reverse time," she explained.

"But?" Jack asked. "I'm sensing a but here."

"But we'll forget everything that's happened to us since I created the time bubble. And someone will have to be excluded," Sam explained.

"Or else we'll just be doomed to repeat history," Daniel summed up.

"Exactly," Sam agreed.

"So who is it going to be?" Cam asked looking around at the group of friends. Sam was sitting next to Jack enjoying just being with him. Vala and Daniel were cuddling on one of the other couches, having grown closer during their time on the Odyssey. 

It was Teal'c who held a sleeping Grace in his arms. It seemed that the young girl had decided that Uncle Teal'c had been placed on the ship to be her best friend and favorite playmate. 

And the big hearted Jaffa indulged her. 

If and when Sam and Jack were unavailable, Teal'c was Grace's next choice. She would spend time with anyone, but after her parents Uncle Teal'c was her favorite family member.

And it was Teal'c who knew he had to be the one to do this. "It will be me," he spoke with a note of finality that caused no one to question him.

Everyone went their separate ways, Sam and Teal'c to her lab, Jack with Grace and the rest of the team to the bridge.

"You know you can never tell anyone what happened here Teal'c," Sam reminded him.

"I know Colonel Carter," Teal'c assured her as he took the offered device.

----

Ten minutes later the Odyssey had safely escaped into hyperspace and Teal'c was telling everyone of what had happened to turn the tide of the war.

Teal'c wasn't surprised when Sam took the first chance she could to speak to him privately.

"I know you can't tell me anything about what happened on the Odyssey, but can you tell me if I really am pregnant?" she asked, slightly nervous about revealing this information, and wondering what her friend would tell her.

"I can not reveal that information Colonel Carter," Teal'c replied.

Sam nodded and smiled understandingly before leaving him alone.

----

A month later Sam returned with another question.

"How did Jack react when I told him?" she asked without prologue.

There was no doubt in either of their minds exactly what she was talking about.

"I can not reveal that information Colonel Carter," Teal'c repeated his previous response.

Sam smiled just like she had the last time and was almost out the door when Teal'c's voice stopped her. "Samantha," he called after her, "I believe O'Neill would be most pleased to hear he is going to be a father again."

"How can you be so sure?" Sam asked, unable to believe that Teal'c would willingly give her this kind of information.

"I once told him that he would suffer great bodily harm if he ever displayed a disregard for your feelings like he did the last time you were with child. He would be wise to heed my warning," Teal'c explained.

Sam smiled at the warrior's words, realizing that he hadn't revealed anything more than a promise made years ago. Now she just had to figure out how to tell her husband that he was getting the last member to that hockey team he had always wanted. 

Her hand rested on her stomach for just a few seconds and she smiled at the thought of the daughter that was currently growing there.

----

It was Valentines Day. Actually it was the weekend after Valentines Day, but considering how busy Sam and Jack had been in the month since the Asgard had committed mass suicide, Jack was grateful that they could coordinate their schedules to get a night off. He had booked a hotel room in Denver with the intention of taking Sam out for dinner and dancing.

It seemed that Sam had other ideas though. She slept the whole trip to Denver and was awake long enough to get herself up to their hotel room and change into more comfortable clothes before falling asleep once again. Of course, she also ordered Jack into bed with her to 'keep her warm' and within minutes Jack was also asleep next to her.

It was almost midnight when Sam woke to the smell of food.

"That smells great," she claimed, smiling at her husband as she sat up so that he could deposit a tray on her lap.

"I spent hours slaving over this meal," he joked, pouring her a glass of wine which she accepted but set aside.

The two dug into their meals with gusto, enjoying the opportunity to have an uninterrupted conversation for once. Once they were done, Jack disposed of the dishes pushing the room service cart into the hallway and then went to his suitcase.

"I know we said that we weren't getting each other anything for Valentines this year, but I couldn't not get you something," Jack claimed as he handed her a carefully wrapped box.

Sam delicately removed the wrapping paper from the box and found a large photo album. She opened it and knew exactly what her husband had gotten her for Valentines Day.

"I thought it was time to put all the pictures and articles that Jacob had saved over the years into a photo album," he explained as he watched Sam leaf through the first few pages. "There's two more like this at home," he added.

"Thank you," Sam whispered as she turned and hugged Jack, a few tears tracing paths down her cheeks. "I love it."

"I'm glad. I wasn't sure if you would like it," he admitted as Sam put the album back in the box.

"I got you something too," Sam said as she got out of bed to find the box that she had carefully packed in her own suitcase. She held the box tight against her chest as she climbed back into bed. "This is a two part gift," she explained as she handed the box over. "You get the first part now and the second part when it's ready for delivery around our anniversary."

Jack tore into the box like a child at Christmas. Once open, he lifted out a black hockey jersey. The front displayed the words "Carter-O'Neill hockey team" with a small double zero in the corner and the back had a large double zero on it along with the word "Dad" in the spot where they player's name would normally go. Jack crumpled the jersey in one hand as he leaned over to hug Sam. "Thank you," he said.

"I also got one for each of the kids and for me," she explained nervously.

"Cool!" Jack exclaimed as he went to fold the jersey. Only then did her realize that there was something else in the box. Carefully he lifted the jersey out. This one was much smaller than his. In fact it was so tiny it would only fit an infant. "This is a little small for one of the boys Sam," Jack said slowly.

"I know," Sam said slowly. "That's where the second part of the present comes in." Jack starred at her in confusion, so Sam reached out and took the jersey from his hands and turned it around so that he could see the back.

Jack's mouth turned into a big 'O' and then slowly changed to a huge grin as he connected the dots. The jersey fell to the bed as Jack reached out to pull his wife to him. "Thank you," he whispered over and over again as Sam felt his tears join her own.

Only when he had his tears in check did he pull away from her. They both ended up looking at the jersey that now lay on the bed. "So Grace will be number six," Jack stated. "How do you know we're having a girl?"

Sam swallowed before answering. "Actually we can thank Thor for this child. He decided that we needed a daughter so that we could best pass on your Ancient gene and become the Fifth race," she explained.

Jack couldn't help himself. He grinned. "I always did like Thor," he claimed.

"Hff. Then next time you can be the one who gets to carry the baby for nine months," Sam told him, "Because this one is it for me."

----


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

When she was eight and a half months pregnant, Sam went into what became a rather lengthy labor. Teal'c was the only one who was calm through the whole ordeal. He was also the only one who didn't seem to mind leaving the waiting room to go to the mess and gather food for everyone. 

And he was the only one who wasn't surprised to find out that the middle name that Sam had selected for newest O'Neill child. He even won quite a sum in the betting pools by picking the date of birth and middle name of the baby. The first name had been revealed the day that Jack had framed the little jersey and hung it in his office, already reserving a spot on the office wall for a picture of the newest addition to the family. Of course Jack and Sam had to call an impromptu meeting in the gateroom to make the announcement 10 minutes later or else no one would have gotten any work done as they tried to catch-up on the latest gossip. 

As the hours stretched on, the crowd in the waiting room grew. General Hammond was one of the first to join SG-1, and his daughter and her new husband, one Colonel Louis Ferretti, were not far behind. Cassie and her boyfriend made an appearance not much later. The poor boy had been given a grand introduction to the O'Neill lifestyle when Cassie had invited him home for Christmas the previous year and Teal'c had spent much of the day trying to get the young man to crack under pressure but he had held up. He suspected that the young man would soon ask permission from at least one of Cassie's uncles to ask Cassie for her hand in marriage. Teal'c would be pleased if he had the opportunity to be the first to offer his consent. 

Eventually, Lindsay and Nate showed up after school, bringing Jake and Ryan with them. The twins were instant entertainment for everyone present.

It was 0200 when Jack emerged from the delivery room, holding the little pink bundle. The waiting room at the hospital was still full of people despite the late hour, and all of them quieted as Jack spoke. "I want everyone to meet Grace Kathryn O'Neill," he said as he looked lovingly at the child in his arms, emotion almost getting the best of him.

Ryan and Jake might have been very tired but there was no way that they weren't going to be the first ones to see their new sibling, despite attempts by Lindsay and Nate to hold them back.

"Dad," they screeched as they ran towards him, only to be shushed by all the adults present.

Jack carefully stooped to their level so they could get their first glimpse of their baby sister.

"She's too small," Ryan complained.

"Yeah, we won't be able to play with her Dad," Jake chimed in.

The adults all chuckled as Jack explained, "Grace will have to grow up a little bit before she can play with you guys."

"But when she does, I'm sure she won't have any problems keeping up with you two," Nate claimed as he stood next to his cousins and ruffled their hair.

"But she's a _girl_," Ryan said like that explained everything.

Once more the adults were forced to hide their laughter at the child's innocence.

"Hey, I'm a girl and you like to play with me," Lindsay objected as she picked up the two-year old boy and tickled him before returning him carefully to the floor.

"But you're big," Jake stated, "We'll have to help her and explain everything to her."

"That's part of being a big brother kid," Nate explained.

"Who do you think taught me everything?" Lindsay asked.

"Dad?" Ryan suggested.

"No, everyone knows that Mom is smarter," Jake declared.

Lindsay struggled to contain her giggles along with the rest of the room. "Nope, you're both wrong. Nate taught me a lot, just like you'll do with Grace," she promised.

After that little exchange, Jack handed Grace off to an eagerly waiting Teal'c and kissed the boys good-bye and told them to behave for Nate and Lindsay that night and that he'd see them in the morning.

"Drive carefully Nate," Jack said sternly but with an obvious display of trust as he permitted the boy to drive his SUV while two of the people he held dear were in the vehicle.

"I always do Uncle Jack," Nate obligingly promised as he and Lindsay literally pulled Jake and Ryan from the room.

Now that his arms were empty, Jack held them out to Teal'c indicating that he wanted his daughter back. Only someone that knew Teal'c well would have realized that he handed over Grace unwillingly. 

"You can hold her later," Jack promised his friend.

"Preferably when she needs her diaper changed," Cam added quickly, thinking of all the times he had been the one holding one of the O'Neill boys when they needed changing.

----

When Grace was one year old, Teal'c was pleased that she had once again chosen him as her favorite Uncle. Cassie had long ago picked Jack. And Ryan and Jake had picked Cam and Daniel respectively, something that had slightly bothered Teal'c, though he would never admit it.

Some might think he was foolish because he preferred Grace to the other O'Neill children but he had long ago seen Samantha Carter outwit any male she had encountered, including himself. With his assistance, Grace would become a warrior to rival any man or alien she could encounter.

----

The final defeat of the Ori came two years later, just after Sam and Jack's fifth wedding anniversary, bringing much happiness, joy, and celebration to the Carter-O'Neill household, along with several announcements. 

The Carter-O'Neill family, SG-1, Major General Hank Landry, Doctor Carolyn Lam, and Cassie and Myles Johnson gathered at the Carter-O'Neill household to celebrate the victory. 

Myles Johnson had joined that SGC shortly after graduation. His degree in International Business had been enough for Jack to find a position on one of the negotiation teams for him, especially after he had come asking for Cassie's hand in marriage. The couple had been happily wed in a small ceremony in General Hammond's backyard not three months after Grace's birth. A picture of all those currently present was proudly displayed on the mantle from that day.

On this night of celebration, they first toasted the defeat of the Ori and all those that had lost their lives to the cause.

Then they toasted Cassie's coming graduation from college. She would soon join Dr. Lam's staff in the infirmary at the SGC.

"But not for too long," Myles quickly added as he traded happy glances with his wife.

"I'm pregnant," Cassie stated, a smile lighting her face as she accepted congratulations in the form of hugs and kisses from all those present.

"I'm dating again," Hank Landry revealed, smiling at his daughter in thanks for the little push she had given him towards reconciling with his ex-wife.

All eyes now focused on Daniel, Vala, and their son. The boy had been born exactly one year after Grace, and had been named Tyler Jonathan Jackson, or T.J. as Jack had dubbed him not even a day after his birth. The couple's wedding had soon followed and would have occurred sooner except Vala had refused to get married until after she had the baby.

"Don't look at us like that," Vala insisted. "I am not having any more children right now. One is more than enough to keep me busy."

"Not busy enough," Daniel muttered loud enough so everyone could hear him.

Vala elbowed her husband in the ribs to let him know his words weren't appreciated by her, even if everyone else got a kick out of them.

Teal'c spoke next. "Rya'c informed me that I am now a grandfather," he proudly announced and was rewarded with another round of congratulations and a toast to the new baby, who by Jaffa tradition would officially receive his name in a ceremony once he was a year old.

The attention of the group now came to rest solely on Cameron Mitchell and Carolyn Lam. It had taken quite a bit to get the two of them to admit there was an attraction there and even more intervention to get them to actually date.

/Flashback/

Sam had ordered Cam to come with her, and he followed her like a little boy that knew he was in trouble. Sam arrived at the infirmary and went straight to Carolyn's office.

The doctor was going over some paperwork when Sam interrupted.

"Can I help you Sam?" she asked, noting Cam's presence.

"What are you doing Friday night?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"Good," Sam replied. "Cam?" she prodded, pushing the man forward.

"Carolyn…." Cam stuttered out.

Sam cleared her throat. Loudly.

"Would you like to go out with me…on Friday night," Cam asked quickly "Like as in a date?"

"I'd like that," Carolyn had assured him, a smile lighting up her face.

/End Flashback/

From there, their relationship had grown slowly to the point it had reached that night.

"I don't have anything," Carolyn insisted despite the looks that kept coming her way.

"But I do," Cam stated as he stood up and smiled nervously as he dropped to one knee in front of Carolyn, pulling a ring box from his pocket as he did so. "We've been dating for a long time and it's taken me a long time to get to the point where I've even thought about asking this question. We owe so much of our relationship to the people that are here tonight that I couldn't imagine doing this without them here to witness it. That being said, Carolyn, you are an amazing woman who deserves way more than I can ever give you. You're smart and beautiful and perfect and I love you and I hope that's enough because I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. You would make me the happiest man in the universe if you'd agree to be my wife. So will you marry me?" Cam asked finally.

It seemed like everyone in the room was holding their breath as they waited for Carolyn's response. Luckily she didn't make them wait long.

"I'd love to," she declared right before she kissed Cam.

The celebration broke out as Hank made the first move to congratulate the happy couple proclaiming loudly to Cam, "I told you she'd say yes."

By far the favorite words came from Cassie who reminded everyone of Sam and Jack's engagement by saying, "Well, at least he didn't forget the ring!"

The next announcement was due to come from Sam and Jack who looked at each other, carrying out a whole conversation with just their eyes. "We've got nothing," Jack finally said.

But someone else did, actually two someones.

"Umm…" Nate began, "I actually have an announcement to make."

"We have an announcement to make," Lindsay corrected her brother offering him a smile and a playful jab to the ribs.

"We've decided where we're going to go to college at," Nate explained.

"You know that you don't have to decide right away right?" Cam asked from his spot on the couch next to Carolyn.

"We know," Lindsay and Nate said at the same time and then laughed.

/Flashback/

The two Carter children might have been separated by a year, and Lindsay might have skipped a grade to join her brother in high school, but the two seniors couldn't have been better friends. They had decided early on that they neither would venture far from home to attend school, resulting in a college search throughout the state of Colorado for the perfect match. Both had agreed that they wouldn't reveal their choice of school to the other until both had picked a school so as not to influence the other in his or her selection.

Two days ago, Lindsay had come to Nate and proclaimed that she had finally made her choice. Nate had only needed one visit to know where he was going to college at, though he had felt obligated to visit every school that Lindsay had looked at. 

His dream of becoming a pilot had only been fueled in the past few years as he had experienced things that few humans could claim. For his 18th birthday, Sam and Jack had surprised him by sending him up with Cam in the newest two man fighter. Nate was pretty sure that he hadn't stopped grinning for a month. That flight had sealed the deal as to where he was going to school.

Lindsay had taken longer. She was smart but not overly athletic and adventurous like Nate. She had organized charts and created equations in attempts to find the school that would be the perfect fit for her. In the end, none of that had mattered. She had walked into the SGC two days ago and realized that she wanted nothing more than to work there. And there was one way to ensure that she got that chance.

/End Flashback/

"You all know that we put a lot of thought into where we were going to go to college," Lindsay began.

"One of us more than the other," Nate joked, looking pointedly at his sister.

"And that we agreed to make the decision independent of the other," she continued.

"Not that it really mattered," Nate quickly commented, "Because we're both going the same place."

"And just where might that be?" Jack asked, quickly becoming tired of the waiting game.

Nate and Lindsay looked at each other. 

"The Air Force Academy," Nate declared nervously waiting for the reaction of his family.

Everyone's eyes went from Nate and Lindsay to Sam.

"It's not fair," Cam mumbled. 

"What's not fair?" Lindsay asked confused.

"Sam bet me that you two would both decide to go to the Air Force Academy," Cam explained, "The loser has to take the lead position in evaluating the next group of recruits."

"It won't be easy," Jack cautioned them both.

"We know," Nate assured him.

"Especially if anyone finds out you're related to Sam," Cam added as an afterthought. "She won like every award the Academy had," he recalled.

Sam blushed in embarrassment but chose to ignore the comment. "You'll both do fine," she assured them as she gave them the first of many congratulations they would receive from various SGC personnel.

----


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

A year and a half later Cadet Lindsay Carter and Cadet Nathan Carter stood side by side at parade rest as President Henry Hayes addressed those present during a visit to the Air Force Academy. Also on stage, the siblings could see their aunt and uncle, both in their Air Force dress uniforms.

After the speech was over, the President was whisked off by the Secret Service to the next stop on his tour of the military bases around Colorado Springs. Lindsay and Nate quickly sought out their family members, wanting to take the opportunity to speak with them.

Unfortunately they were stopped half-way there by an older cadet. "Cadet Carter," the older boy reprimanded, doing a double take when he realized both of the cadets had the last name Carter, "I believe that you were dismissed to return to class."

"Yes sir," they both answered, gazing longingly at their aunt who was in the midst of a conversation with General Kerrigan. They turned to leave when a familiar voice stopped them.

"Cadet Carter, I believe you were both ordered to report to me after the President's speech," Jack said accusingly, humor lighting his eyes.

"I'm sorry sir," the older Cadet was quick to apologize, "I didn't realize that they had different orders."

"Dismissed Cadet…Jennings," Jack ordered as he noted the boy's name, already scratching him from the lift of possible SGC recruits.

Lindsay and Nate came to attention and saluted the higher ranking officer, as military decorum dictated, and Jack half-heartedly returned the salute. "C'mon," he instructed, "Let's get you a pass from General Kerrigan and you can come spend the day at the SGC with me and Sam."

Two hours and one big family reunion later, the Carter siblings were once more listening to the President give a speech, only this time it was from the gateroom at the SGC. It was also the first time that either of the siblings had been permitted in the room.

"As many of you know," President Hayes began, "My time in office will eventually come to an end. With that in mind, there are many things that I want to accomplish before that day comes. First and foremost in my mind is the defense of our planet, which is what will cause many of the changes that the SGC will undergo in the next few months. General O'Neill has been pushing for a better training program for all SGC recruits for the last several years and today I am here to announce that that will be a reality in time for the next school year at the Academy. Cadets will be thoroughly screened and vetted during their first year at the Academy before being invited to be part of the special training program, headed by General O'Neill."

A murmur went through the crowded gateroom as many people looked at Jack, wondering how the man was going to handle heading the SGC and the Academy training program.

"I'm sure Jack has in depth plans for how he will do that, but we don't want to bore you with those now. As some of you can probably guess, General O'Neill's decision to head the Academy training program means that he will be stepping down as the head of the SGC," Hayes continued.

A collective gasp went up.

Jack quickly stepped to the President's side and raised a hand to quiet his troops. "Relax guys, I'm leaving you all in good hands," he reassured them. "I personally chose my successor and I won't be that far away if you ever _really_ need my expertise," he claimed.

Hayes nodded his agreement at Jack's words and once more returned to the podium. "I'm sure Jack will find every opportunity he can to come back to the SGC. With his departure, it has been decided to continue with the current format of running the SGC. One person heads the scientific side while a second officer is in charge of the military aspects, but both officers must be capable of working together," Hayes explained.

Once more Jack stepped up to the podium. "That being said, please come to attention," he ordered and the entire room snapped to do so. "It is with great pride that I announce the promotion of Colonel Dave Dixon to Brigadier General."

A round of applause broke out and the President and Jack went about completing the tasks required to complete the man's promotion.

The President then resumed speaking, though he kept it short and allowed Dixon a few minutes so speak. Dixon wrapped up his speech and turned to Jack, "And now I believe General O'Neill has one more task to complete before he officially hands over the reigns of the SGC. Jack?"

Jack cleared his throat before speaking. "I could not have asked for a better group of officers to command. Each one of you is part of the reason that I get up and come to work every day, and will be part of the reason that I will miss being the commander of this base. My decision to step down comes as a result of wanting to spend more time with my children, and taking this position at the Academy will enable me to do that. Before I leave, I have one thing to do yet. When I took the position as head of the SGC, a friend told me that I could do whatever I wanted."

Chuckles broke out around the room as people ran through their minds the things that the General had probably wanted to accomplish.

Jack ignored his audience and continued, "While that could not have been farther from the truth, I have gotten the opportunity to do pretty much everything on my list of 'Things I want because I saved the World' save one. Which with your permission Mr. President, I would like to make my last order of business as the commander of the SGC."

Henry Hayes smiled and nodded, indicating that Jack should continue. "Come to attention," Jack ordered and waited a beat while everyone responded. "It is with great pride that I have the honor of announcing the promotion of Colonel Samantha Carter-O'Neill to the rank of Brigadier General. Congratulations Sam."

Sam gaped at her husband in shock as the gateroom's atmosphere quickly approached one of celebration, though the officers managed to contain their enthusiasm until after Sam had traded salutes with her husband and the President. She then turned and saluted the officers in the gateroom, giving them her unofficial permission to commence the celebration.

Lindsay and Nate tried to contain their enthusiasm but found themselves pulled along with Daniel, Cam, Teal'c, and Vala as they went to congratulate Sam on her newest achievement.

President Hayes stopped the two of them on their way up the ramp though. "I trust that the two of you will continue the family tradition of being involved in the SGC," he stated.

"Yes sir," Lindsay and Nate quickly assured him.

"Good. I'll make sure that Jack puts your names on the roster of Academy trainees," Hayes claimed before clapping Nate on the shoulder and continuing on his journey out of the room.

Lindsay and Nate looked at each other with shocked expressions and then grinned as they continued on their journey to congratulate their Aunt.

The Nate and Lindsay Carter's graduation from the Air Force Academy would go down in history as the most secure graduation in the history of the Air Force Academy. Not only was it attended by more brass than a normal graduation, which called for additional security, but the presence of former President Henry Hayes brought out a small contingent of secret service agents. And when newly elected President Jordan Jones stopped by unannounced, many of the graduating cadets became nervous.

For Lindsay and Nate, it was just another day. Since graduation from high school they had twice been to the White House with their family, once with President Hayes and once with President Jones. The two had also eaten dinner with the former President three times at their house. Henry Hayes had taken quite a liking to the Carter-O'Neill family and was currently building a house a short distance away from the O'Neill homestead. While Lindsay and Nate were too old to know him as anything more than a former President, Ryan, Jake, and Grace had their 'Uncle Henry' securely wrapped around their fingers.

Regardless of who was there to see it, Lindsay and Nate became second lieutenants that day, receiving one each of the late Major General Jacob Carter's pins, which had also been Sam's insignia upon graduation. The other pin for each of them came from Jack, after the couple secured a promise that the pins would one day be passed along to any of the O'Neill children who decided to pursue a position in the Air Force.

Two days later Nate and Lindsay became the third generation of Carters to work at the SGC. They were welcomed with open arms, having proven themselves to be capable officers throughout their training at the Academy.

In less than a month, Sam watched them walk through the gate together for their first long term off world assignment at the Beta site. Nate would receive training on the newest aircraft while Lindsay would have the opportunity to do some research with Captain Hailey.

Life went on during the almost one year absence of the two Carter children.

Daniel and Vala added a third child to their family, Leah Janet joined older brothers T.J. and James Michael, and once more Daniel swore that she would be the last of his children. No one believed him of course, because he had the same thing after each of his other children had been born.

Cassie and Myles had given up trying to have any more children after trying for almost four years to give Annie a sibling. They ended up adopting three children ages four, six, and nine who were orphaned when their parents were killed in a freak flooding accident on one of the planets that the SGC mined for naquadah. Two months later Cassie announced that she was pregnant-with twins.

Cam and Carolyn had settled for just one child after Carolyn struggled throughout her pregnancy. The little boy was a spitting image of Cam and was going to be the death of his mother with all the trouble he got into. Of course, Grandpa Hank was more than happy to spoil his only grand child, Derek Hank.

Hank Landry never remarried his ex-wife, but not due to lack of trying. She died in an unfortunate auto accident before she ever got to see her grandson, two days after they set a wedding date.

Teal'c was now a grandfather twice over, but he rarely had the opportunity to see the two boys, instead choosing to dolt on the many children of his friends, especially a little girl named Grace.

Nate and Lindsay's return was celebrated by all as they both accepted Earth-side positions. They had missed the long time periods between visits with their family members, which had prompted their request for reassignment.

As days and even years came and went, Jack and Sam were force to watch their children grow up, though they did get the opportunity to be much more involved in their children's lives then they had been during the war with the Ori.

Ryan was his father's son when it came to getting into trouble and Jake was his mother's son when it came to getting the two of them out of it. When Grace skipped two grades to be in the same fourth grade class as Ryan and Jake, things just got worse. Grace became the ultimate distraction maker for the two boys, and the teachers would have split the three of them up except they were afraid to see what kind of destruction the children could produce individually. At least together the destruction could be contained. Besides, the private school they attended only had one class for advanced students.

Sam had long since gotten her second star, giving her the same rank as her husband and deceased father. Overseeing the science side of all things Stargate related took up much of her time, though the hours were much better than they had been as a member of SG-1. She made it home in time for supper more nights than not, and even had time to lecture as part of Jack's training program that had been expanded to include any new person assigned to the SGC or Atlantis.

And Jack was happier than he had ever been. His new position gave him flexible hours. He dropped the kids off for school every morning and picked them all up most afternoons. Sometimes he felt like he was driving a school bus with the number of kids, especially having not only Grace, Jake, and Ryan, but Cassie and Myles' four along with T.J. The O'Neill household was the favorite gathering spot for any neighborhood child with nothing to do on a weekday afternoon. 

Jack loved all of it. 

He became the referee of soccer games, the umpire for baseball games, and the extra player in the street hockey games. None of this came without a price though as Jack had suffered his share of bumps and bruises for his actions along with a couple of broken bones, but he wouldn't trade a single one of them for the time he got to spend with his children.

The biggest worry the SGC currently faced was when it would go public, not if. Everyone knew it was just a matter of time before someone would spill the beans that they weren't alone in the universe.

The day the Stargate program went public was met with a much more relaxed response than anyone had suspected. Sam and Jack credited the way in which it was done that made things go so smoothly. 

First, every person currently involved with the program was permitted to tell their family a week before the announcement. Then, the day before the announcement information was purposely leaked to key members of the press. The press members that were chosen had all agreed to only show the program in a positive light, detailing the involvement of its' members in protecting and defending Earth. The best part was that no names were ever mentioned as to who was part of this elite program, or where it was located. Instead the press was forced to create a picture of an American hero that no one could ever live up to, but seemed to satisfy the public. The fact that there was a television show all about the adventures that the members of this program got into seemed to help too and Wormhole X-treme became the top rated show on television.

For the most part, Jack and Sam could have cared less, just wanting life to go on as normal. And with the exception of a few extremists who claimed they had been right all along, nothing actually changed for middle class America. 

Which was exactly what most of the SGC wanted. It took almost a year for someone to leak the names and location of the Stargate, but by that time, most people were more concerned about what was going to happen on the television show to really care.

The years went by faster than Jack or Sam wanted them to because it meant their children were growing up. Ryan, Jake, and Grace all ended up skipping their last year of middle school to begin high school a year early, just as Lindsay had done. With Ryan and Jake this wasn't a big deal because they were only a year younger than a regular high school student. 

But Grace now found herself in a school where she was seven or eight years younger than some of her classmates. The advanced classes the three had been in during their middle school years had put them into a class that was equivalent to a normal high school junior or senior. 

The O'Neill boys had little trouble with their classmates. Their good looks and athletic talents made them both quite popular with the students. 

Grace was the one who struggled with fitting in and because she had inherited her mother's good looks she was hit on by the older boys, despite her age, but it was only once.

After the first boy that tried to hit on her ended up with a broken nose and a bruised kneecap, courtesy of a move that Teal'c had taught her, the other boys started to respect her- or at least steer clear of her- though Grace always suspected that her brothers might have had something to do with the sudden change in the attitudes of many of the high school boys.

Despite everything that she did, Grace never quite managed to feel like she belonged during her high school years and graduation was by far the best day of her high school career. Her entrance into the Academy had been guaranteed practically from birth, considering who her parents were. She couldn't remember a time when she didn't know about the SGC and the work that her parents did there, or in her dad's case, did to prepare people to work there.

Right now though, she stood at attention, sandwiched between her brothers and waited on her father to address the newest group of Academy students that had been tapped for his special SGC training program. With the program going public, Jack had been able to personally work with and give every first yet cadet a chance to get into the very, very competitive SGC training program.

The thing that astonished most of the trainees was the realization that the Major General was in his seventies, even though he didn't look a day over fifty. In fact, all the members of SG-1 had barely seemed to age at all during the past twenty years, at least if you just looked at the pictures.

They each had added a few more wrinkles and laugh lines, along with some thinning or graying hair, but for the most part, each of them had they physical fitness and health that they had enjoyed the day the Asgard died. Sam had a theory about the reason for it, but even then it was only a theory.

The biggest challenge the Academy had with three O'Neill children, other than the constant explosions in the physics lab, was finding something to challenge the kids. They had grown up exposed to some of the best minds in the scientific, historical, and military world. They could probably teach their instructors some things, which they did do from time to time, but for the most part General Kerrigan was happy to release them into their father's SGC training program full time after the first year. Jack suspected that the day one of his children wrote a program to change the background on every computer to a different Simpsons picture was the final straw. He never did find out which of the kids did it, but the program remained a permanent part of his computer, somehow it always managed to transfer to any new computer he got.

Teaching his children was a daunting task as Jack was challenged to constantly to come up with new ways to challenge them. He ended up throwing them into the higher level classes just a few weeks into the program because they constantly disturbed the learning process in the introductory courses. The trouble was they already knew everything that many of their classmates were just now finding out existed. 

So after one year of dealing with never ending complaints from his instructors and his children that they were disruptive or bored in class, Jack decided it was time for him to go back into the field. T.J. had joined the three O'Neill children for their second year at the Academy, and General Kerrigan had quickly placed the boy in Jack's program full time, not wanting a repeat of the first year of the O'Neill children's experience at the Academy. 

So the O'Neill children, T.J. Jackson, and ten of the brightest cadets in the SGC program spent a year personally escorting any higher ranking officer who had been recruited to the SGC on their first trip through the gate. It challenged the cadets because they got to be the teachers for the new recruits and was great for the program overall as the 'new' recruits got the training they needed from some of the best and brightest.

When year four arrived Jack was out of ideas though, so he went to his wife looking for suggestions.

"What about sending them to Atlantis for a year?" Sam suggested.

"Without either of us around to watch out for them?" Jack asked in disbelief, "There's no way...they'll get into too much trouble."

Sam chuckled. "Probably," she agreed with him, "But you're going to have to let them go some time Jack. You can't keep them here forever."

"I know," Jack said and went to draw up the orders. One week later T.J. Jackson and Ryan, Grace, and Jake O'Neill stepped through the gate to Atlantis. It only took two months for Sam and Jack to find an official reason to visit the other galaxy. The fact that the rest of SG-1 tagged along gave the visit a little bit more of an official feel, even if their time spent there ended up being more like a family reunion than anything else.

The kids managed to accumulate nothing more than a few stitches and one broke bone during their school year stay in the other galaxy, and Sam and Jack were happy to have them home once more.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The proudest day of Sam and Jack's lives had to be the day they had the honor of commissioning their children as second lieutenants in the United States Air Force. As promised, Lindsay and Nate had passed on the pins that they had received at their own commissioning ceremony, having long ago been promoted past that rank.

The graduation ceremony that had been held for the Carter children had _nothing_ on the one that the O'Neill children and their classmates were forced to endure. Two former presidents, the current president, the top brass in the Air Force, the Joint Chiefs, and the allies from two galaxies had all been invited. The cadets turned second lieutenants had sighed in relief when they _thought_ the ceremony was over, only to have the current President, Roger Fryer hold them up.

"I have one more thing to attend to today," President Roger Fryer announced. "Without two people who have gone unrecognized for a long time, the lack of recognition mostly of their own desire, deserve one more honor. Both have received every conceivable award, commendation, and medal that this world and others have to offer. Today it is my pride to do two things for this couple. Would Major Generals Jack O'Neill and Samantha Carter-O'Neill please come forward?" he requested.

Jack and Sam traded glances, both blushing. They hated to being recognized for doing their job, which was why they were thankful that someone had made the video tape Bregman had made years ago- disappear.

The couple stood in front of the crowd at attention and waited.

"On behalf of the United States government I pleased to announce the promotion of you both to the rank of Lieutenant General and as the first recipients of the Stargate Service Accommodation Medal," Fryer announced as he proceeded to add another star to their shoulders and another medal to each of their growing collections before going on to explain just what the medal was for and why the two of them were the deserving first recipients of the new medal.

The three O'Neill children quickly joined the SGC, following in their parents' footsteps as either a scientists, in Jake and Grace's case, or as a pure military strategist in Ryan's case.

Five years later, the day came that Sam realized her daughter had a better grasp on a new piece of technology than she did. That was the day Sam realized she wanted and probably needed to retire. She had taught her children everything she could; now she needed to step back and let them do their own thing.

Two days later, she called the President with Jack at her side, and they both declared their intentions to retire, promising to fax the paperwork in the following morning. They tried to slip away without any fanfare, but no one would have it.

It seemed that the retirement of two three star generals was an occasion that required a party complete with the biggest cake Sam had ever seen. The celebration that their retirement called for was the biggest event to ever occur- anywhere.

The President and several other heads of state made the journey to celebrate, which was made shorter by the use of Asgard beaming technology, which had just become available for government use. That night, they listened as people they had never met detailed their many accomplishments as members of SG-1 and since then, wishing they could be anywhere else but at this 'party'. When the politicians and brownnosers finally left, Jack and Sam were able to almost enjoy the 'party'.

They finally escaped later that night and went to Minnesota, where they were able to live pretty much unbothered by anything but the mosquitoes.

Except when they had to go places.

Like the day that Cam finally got his first star.

Or the day they thought that they going to a surprise birthday party for Grace only to find out that they were the ones being surprised with a party for their twenty fifth wedding anniversary.

There were also a few sad occasions, like the funeral of General Hammond, which was followed a year to the day later by the death of former President Henry Hayes. In his later years, the man had become a full member of the O'Neill family, no longer receiving invitations to family functions because he was expected to be there in the same way that Daniel and Teal'c's presence was expected.

Jack celebrated his ninetieth birthday with a spectacular party, one that he enjoyed greatly. Many people commented that he didn't look a day over fifty; maybe sixty if one took into account his aching knees, but no where near ninety.

"He's always acted like a kid," Sam explained.

"He just doesn't want to grow up," Grace added, with straight faces as her father starred at her in disbelief. The little girl who had taken apart the dishwasher when she was five, and put it back together, had grown into her skin sometime during the past few years. She was finally dating for the first time in her life, and Jack vowed that he wasn't going any where until after he walked his daughter down the aisle.

Two years later, Sam celebrated her eightieth birthday in a slightly less grand fashion than her husband, but also not looking a day over fifty. The same day as Sam's birthday, Jake and his new wife welcomed their first child into the world, a little boy named George Hayes O'Neill, in honor of the two men that the O'Neill children had admired for a long time.

Ryan had yet to settle down three years later when Grace became a Jackson, specifically Mrs. T.J. Jackson. Much like her mother, she still used O'Neill at work, claiming she wanted to avoid confusion, but no one really believed her considering there were also the two O'Neill brothers using the same last name.

Lindsay and Nate had married ten years prior to any of the O'Neill children, and both had two children each, a boy and a girl. Lindsay's son was named for their father while Nate's daughter bore his grandmother's name.

Sam and Jack couldn't have been prouder and happier with their children. They were enjoying life together, without any emergencies that required their immediate attention.

Then, Ryan made the announcement that his long term girlfriend was pregnant and they had went off to Las Vegas and gotten married, without any of the family present. The siblings were all overly angry at him but the fact that Sam gave the marriage her stamp of approval silenced everyone else's words- and anger. She understood the desire for a lack of fanfare more than anyone else. After all, she was the one who got married in the Oval Office just so she could avoid the wedding planning.

The birth of their first granddaughter was the last piece of joy Sam and Jack would have the opportunity to enjoy together. Jacquelyn Rose O'Neill was gifted with the O'Neill curiosity and the Carter brains. She was the fussiest baby that anyone had ever met unless she happened to be in the arms of Samantha O'Neill and then she became a perfect angel.

The day that Grace O'Neill-Jackson and T.J. told their parents that they were expecting their first child was a day of celebration. Sam and Jack considered it to be the best anniversary present either of them could ever ask for, and Daniel and Vala were overjoyed with the idea of having a grandchild to spoil.

It was six months later that things went wrong.

No one had heard from Sam or Jack for a few days, something that wasn't uncommon, but when Teal'c showed up and made the journey, by Asgard technology to see his long time friends, everyone wondered if the feeling of dread that had settled in the pit of their stomachs had a cause.

A phone call an hour later revealed that it did.

Teal'c had gone to the cabin and couldn't find either Sam or Jack anywhere, only confirming his previous suspicion that the vision hadn't been a dream.

The day before, Sam and Jack had appeared to Teal'c smiling and happy, explaining to him that the Ancients had decided they were 'ideal' candidates for Ascension. Based on the comments from Jack, Teal'c figured it had taken some convincing on Sam's part for him to agree, but if there was one thing Teal'c knew about retired Lieutenant General Jonathon 'Jack' O'Neill, it was that he loved his wife and would have _died_ for her. If ascending to a higher plane of existence was what she wanted him to do so she could _live_ with him, Jack O'Neill would do it.

And he had.

Still, explaining this fact to the majority of the world which didn't understand life on a higher plane of existence would be quite difficult, so the Carter-O'Neill family planned a funeral and memorial service, despite the lack of bodies, though that fact was well hidden from the general public.

For ten hours straight on two consecutive days the family members received people who came to share their memories of the famous Generals with the family, each and every memory was recorded for future use. Those who could not make it recorded their memories in either by digital or written means, all in an attempt to keep the memory of two wonderful people alive.

Years later, a young woman that never actually 'met' her grandparents would use those memories to write a book that gave the true story of the lives of the original SG-1.

The funeral was supposed to be limited to those that had known the O'Neills but that number alone was still far too many for any funeral home to accommodate, so there was a just going to be a very large graveside service with full military honors for the two retired three star generals.

The procession from Washington D.C. where the memorial service had been held to the cemetery in Colorado Springs was quite similar to the one that former President Abraham Lincoln's body had experienced. People made use of the Asgard beaming technology to get close to a point by which the convoy would pass in order to pay honor and tribute to the two people who they had recently come to know as true heroes.

There was not a single spot along the roads that the two empty caskets traveled that was not lined with people from all different nations. Some had walked for miles to reach a beaming point in their country, only to walk several more miles after beaming to a beaming platform so that they could actually see the vehicle carrying the caskets pass by.

Upon arrival at the cemetery, everyone prepared for the funeral the next day where the two empty caskets would be laid in the ground somewhere between Charlie O'Neill and Samantha Carter's father and mother.

The day of the funeral had started off as a cold, rainy summer morning but as the newest SGC fighters flew overhead, the sun came out. As the sun peaked out from behind the clouds, Grace O'Neill-Jackson quietly slipped away with her husband to the hospital.

Several hours later, in a much quicker birth than what her mother had went through to bring her into the world, T.J. and Grace Jackson announced the birth of Samantha Danielle Jackson to a large gathering of friends and family.

Five years later, Grace had no doubts that she had picked the right name when she came home to find the dishwasher, toaster, and microwave in parts and a miniature naquadah generator assembled on the kitchen table.

Grace picked up a communication device to call her brothers with the latest accomplishments of her daughter and swore that she could hear her parents laughing at her in the distance.

The end

AN: Thanks for sticking with me through this! A promise a sequel sometime in the future that will tell this story from the point of view of the Carter-O'Neill children, especially their later years! To everyone who reviewed- thank you! They were very encouraging and helpful to me! This is my longest work to date and I promise the next one will be shorter- or at least I hope so )


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